Please... Donate Blood!

This weekend, a very dear friend passed away in a tragic car accident. Kawthar was awesome, amazing, loved, beautiful, full of life and just 23 years old. She was the type of person who became instant best friends with every single person she met.

Kawthar and I started in our lab at the same time - she was an undergrad worker, I was a new grad student - and grew very close (just as she did with everyone in our lab). She left our lab last year for medical school at the University of Louisville and had just completed her first year with stellar results. She was about to travel abroad to visit family and volunteer with refugees in Palestine. Simply put, Kawthar was brilliant and amazing.

Her family is asking for all those who knew and loved her to please donate blood this week. In efforts to save Kawthar's life, 26 units of blood were used - equivalent to all of the blood in your body. Kawthar dedicated her life to better the lives of others through medicine and she was a strong advocate of donating organs and blood.

Blood Centers usually have a shortage of blood during holidays due to the higher likelihood of accidents. Given the 4th of July is this weekend, her family is asking all those who knew and loved Kawthar to dedicate blood in her honor and name. I know you didn't know Kawthar (well, most of you reading this), but I'm asking you to please, please donate blood this week. Every minute of every day, someone needs blood.

I know my friends and I will be donating blood. But the question is - will you?

For more information, visit the Red Cross website here.