B+

Today, after the movers are finished with the big stuff, my mom and I are heading into Philly to go to Jefferson so that I can donate a unit of B+ blood for her surgery. It's such an awesome thought that during my mom's surgery, they will put MY blood into her body... it makes me feel like I am doing something to help her. This photo is of Andrew McDonough and his sister, Ali.

For those of you who haven't heard the Andrew McDonough story, here is a little clip from his website:

Andrew was 14, a bright, talented kid, star soccer player, an 'A' student with a sense of humor and kindness for all. Never met a nicer kid. One day he was starring in a soccer tournament, two days later he was in intensive care with leukemia and sepsis in cardiac arrest.

Andrew was a student at Salesianum High School in Wilmington. From January to July of 2007, Andrew fought for 167 days at A. I. duPont Children's Hospital, before his body shut down, and he passed very bravely. He is a hero in our community, and his father, Joe, has started a foundation in his son's name called The Andrew McDonough B+Foundation. Andrew's blood type was B+, and it became sort of a mantra among them. "It's not a blood type or a grade, it's an attitude!" Since my mom is B+, and so am I, we've adopted their (B) positive outlook, and of course, we support the foundation. Last week, I bought tshirts so that we can wear them... we see the tshirts and bumper stickers all over Wilmington (the high school community around here is very tight-knit, especially when sports are involved). They're great conversation starters... everyone knows about the amazing soccer kid with the curly hair!

Check out Andrew's caringbridge site - www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewmcdonough
And his foundation's website- www.bepositive.org

Always remember that your struggles are sometimes small compared to others.