Editor’s note: The following is a letter written by the editor to accompany the Caymanian Compass editorial. Our editorials are not personal. The following letter is.
Today is World Blood Donor Day.
As many of you know, and probably just as many don’t, my family experienced the desperate need for blood a couple of weeks ago when Stephen Ebanks was rushed to Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital with severe stomach pains.
The plan at first was to airlift him to Miami, but through testing it was determined that Stephen’s spleen had ruptured.
Emergency surgery was necessary.
And so was blood.
The call went out from his attending doctors – Steve Tomlinson, Darley Solomon, Christopher Bromley and Stephen Gay, who we thank along with the nursing staff for saving his life and proving that you don’t have to go off island for excellent care – for family and friends to donate and request others to donate O-positive blood. The request went viral through social media.
I posted it on Facebook. Our tech guru Ben tweeted it. Emails went to friends and family members. As word got out, it spread – and spread and spread.
We learned Thursday that Stephen is a much-loved and treasured soul by all who know him. We also learned that we, individually, have some awesome friends and co-workers who, at our request, went to the Cayman Islands Hospital’s Blood Bank to donate for a young man they didn’t even know.
From Cayman Free Press, four people – Sonita, Stuart, Joe and Karla – donated. Others expressed their desire to donate, but because of their place of origin – the UK and Africa – were not allowed to donate.
There were countless others from different businesses and other individuals on Grand Cayman who showed up at the blood bank. We were told that the line to the blood bank was long and steady.
To everyone who donated and attempted to donate, Stephen’s family – his mom JudyAnne and dad Billy – and all of the rest of us cannot even begin to tell you how much we appreciate your gift of life.
Because that is exactly what it was.
Without those donations we might well be attending Stephen’s funeral and grieving instead of celebrating his life while he is still alive.
And that is precisely what giving blood means. It means life.
While our family does appreciate everyone who gave blood, we wish it was a case that the appeal did not have to be made.
We wish that people of all blood types would regularly attend the blood bank, roll up their sleeves and donate.
It’s a painless procedure and only takes a few minutes of your time.
Yes, we hear messages each year during World Blood Donor Day about the importance of giving blood. Some take heed and make the donation after the gentle prodding of media advertisements, editorials and articles. Others dismiss it as a trivial day.
But until you have faced the possibility of losing someone you dearly love because there wasn’t an adequate supply of blood, I don’t think you can really appreciate the need for blood donors.
I can assure you that my family is more attuned to the needs of the Blood Bank now that we have experienced first-hand the possibility of losing that precious young man who has so much promise.
We are a small community and tragedy can – and does – strike at any moment. We have seen it time after time with car crashes and other emergency situations.
Please help us ensure that the Blood Bank is always prepared.
You don’t have to make an appointment; you can call 244-2674 to get any information you need.
We have Stephen with us today because so many people answered the call to donate blood.
Please give someone else the gift of life. Become a steady blood donor. Families like mine will be forever grateful.
Tammie C. Chisholm
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