September 1, 2011

A New Life for Kate

Kate is a one-year-old girl in Texas with bright eyes and a sweet smile. She's also braver than any one-year-old should ever have to be. I don't know Kate but her story has touched my life and I wanted to share it with you too. I stumbled on Kate's mom's blog a few weeks ago and have been following ever since with tears, smiles, and prayers. You see, in June, Kate was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic bone marrow failure, which meant she needed a complete bone marrow transplant as soon as possible. 

Thanks to an anonymous young man, last night Kate was given a second chance at life when she received a transplant of his donated bone marrow. Now this sweet baby has the opportunity to go on to live a long and happy life because someone she doesn't even know made the selfless choice to become a donor. What an amazing gift! 

My mom has donated blood for years but I've never thought much about organ, bone marrow, or blood donation. After reading Kate's story though I've been inspired to register as an organ donor and to also begin donating blood, which is something simple that I can do right now. In the future, I would also strongly consider donating bone marrow -- what a rewarding experience that would be. Ordinary people don't often get the chance to be heroes but by donating blood, bone marrow, or organs you are potentially saving someone's life. I would encourage all of you to read and follow Kate's story here (especially read Kate's mom's beautiful letter to the man who saved her daughter's life) and also look into becoming a donor by clicking here or here

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