On Wednesday, Tim and I were among those honored at the American Red Cross Heroes in the Heartland luncheon. We were recognized for our work with the blood drive, and for working to raise awareness for the need to donate blood. We were quite honored and humbled to receive this award, but it was even more rewarding that we got to share Henry's story with the hundreds in attendance. Some had heard of our story, and it was new to others. By the time our video finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, as my dad put it.
It's a strange feeling...being honored as a "hero." I still have a hard time with that - I don't necessarily see myself as a hero. To me, it was just find the good in the world or fall apart...and while falling apart often seems like the easier option, I don't feel like that would honor Henry or Brady. Brady and Henry had a purpose in their incredibly short time here with us, and that was to make us better people, and to help us to pass that on to others. The blood drive came up shortly after Henry died, and it seemed like something we were meant to do. Henry's first night in the hospital, his white blood count was nearly 500,000. Through blood exchanges, that blood count dropped nearly in half overnight. Throughout his stay, he received many transfusions of platelets and blood products. Although these blood products did not save his life, they did prolong it, and gave us time to process and be with him. Had he not received any of those blood products, he probably would have died that first night. And that's why we're so passionate about the blood drive...why we post about it so often on Facebook and bug all our friends and family...blood is precious - it can save a life, or, at the very least, it can give a family more time. And we know how precious time is.
Thank you to the Red Cross, for allowing us to share Henry's story with the world. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in this journey. Thank you to every single person who has ever donated blood. If you are able, please consider donating. We would love to see you at our blood drive - APRIL 16! Even if you aren't able to donate, feel free to stop by and say hi...we're using our blood drive this year to help us celebrate Henry's second birthday. And in the meantime, take a moment to watch this version of Henry's story...
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