‘What I Saw There Was Amazing,’ Woman Says About Donating Blood In Orlando The Day Of The Attack
By Jacob Geers
As many of you probably know at this point, last night there was a horrific terrorist attack on a gay club in Orlando, Florida.
And while all of us — from all over the world — have felt the story weigh on our heart, there is one Orlando-based girl who decided she had to take action.
The woman, Carolyn Gavin, made her way to one of the blood drives where she hoped to give her donation (She was ultimately asked to come back later in the week). But it was what she saw there that truly moved her:
In her own words:
Text version, if needed
In light of the horrific shootings in downtown Orlando early this morning, everyone who is able was urged to donate blood. I went to one of the blood drives today since I am one of the blood types that they so desperately need. What I saw when I was there was one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen in my entire life. When we arrived, there was a FIVE HOUR line to donate blood. Five hours. That is the most incredible thing. They said that everyone was welcome to wait in line, but they might run out of supplies before the line was finished. People had driven hours to donate blood so they waited. Others, who were local like myself, were asked if they would like to sign up to donate later in the week when they were in a greater need again.
Instead of just leaving once we signed up to donate later in the week, my friend and I stayed to help as we could and to observe the magic that was taking place with so many different people coming together to help as much as they could. We helped unload a huge, seven-seater SUV that was completely filled with packs of bottled water. Every, single nook and cranny of that car had a pack of water in it. And that family had two other cars with them full of water, other drinks, and snacks for the blood bank. The generosity of not only this family, but every person who donated today is so wonderful. Seeing people come together is the real magic that we have in this world.