Paying It Forward Pt. 2: I was a recipient, WOW

I had planned to do a Part 2 to the Paying It Forward post I did on on January 9th and share with you ways I pay it forward that weren't listed in my first post.  However I wasn't expecting to be the recipient of such measure.

At 1:05 PM I TWEETED that I had just put a book on my Kindle Love Wish List.

I just wished for: 'Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans... via @amazon amazon.com/wishlist/KIJMG…
— CateyesMD (@cateyesmd) January 23, 2012

I was sharing that information as a means of sharing the title of the book with others.

At 1:13 PM I received an email from Amazon indicating I had received a gift from one of my friends who had obviously seen the TWEET.


AT 1:19 PM I then TWEETED the following:

Touched! TY "Friend" 4 this GIFT: 'Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans amazon.com/dp/B0010SEOYE/…
— CateyesMD (@cateyesmd) January 23, 2012

Of course I sent a personal thank you as well, but wanted to share with others that in this day and time, there are still very nice people around who believe in Paying It Forward.  My "Friend", who holds a public office in the District of Columbia has certainly secured a donation to their next run for public office, should they choose to run again.  Not that that was the intent, but that's how this process works  :-).
Seriously though, I was truly touched at their generosity and can only imagine the feeling it gave me is shared multiple times over when I donate BLOOD and/or PLATELETS through the American Red Cross.  I have been donating blood for many years and platelets for about the last 2-3 years.

You may be asking yourself the following 2 questions now:
(answers from http://www.psbc.org/programs/platelets.htm)

Who Needs Platelets?
Many lifesaving medical treatments require platelet transfusions. Cancer patients, those receiving organ or bone marrow transplants, victims of traumatic injuries, and patients undergoing open heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive.

Because platelets can be stored for only five days, the need for platelet donations is vast and continuous.

Platelet transfusions are needed each year by thousands of patients like these:

• Heart Surgery Patient, 6 units
• Burn Patient, 20 units
• Organ Transplant Patient, 30 units
• Bone Marrow Transplant Patient, 120 units

Who Can be an Apheresis Donor?
If you meet the requirements for donating blood, you probably can give platelets. Apheresis donors must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be in good health
• weigh at least 110 pounds
• not have taken aspirin or products containing aspirin 48 hours prior to donation.

IMAGINE THIS!

If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

How many lives are you willing to save?