Why I decided to start donating blood at MD Anderson

When my husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in June 2019, I’d already been donating blood for almost 20 years. I especially enjoyed donating platelets, both because I could do it more often, and because it was a little harder to accomplish. Afterward, I’d usually be pretty wiped out, but it felt good, knowing I was really helping people.

Before Jeff and I were married, his mother thanked me for being a longtime blood donor. Jeff needed many transfusions as a child, to overcome a non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis when he was 12. And she was pleased he’d found a life partner who’d been willing to help people like her son.

After Jeff’s latest cancer diagnosis, though, giving blood took on a whole new dimension. Because when your spouse has cancer, you really don’t have control over much of anything. And you really, REALLY want to do something to help them. 

I made the decision to start giving blood at MD Anderson in August 2021, after a blood shortage affected my husband’s treatment. Jeff’s blood counts were low enough to disqualify him from joining a clinical trial, but not quite low enough to trigger a blood transfusion. 

I understood that other patients needed the blood more, but it was still frustrating. So, I made a decision. I knew that my blood donations wouldn’t necessarily be given to Jeff directly. But it was nice to know there was something I could do to help reduce the overall shortage, when I felt so helpless otherwise.

I still wish it was possible to do more. But while I may not be able to cure Jeff, I can keep doing this.

Schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets at MD Anderson Blood Bank.