Editor’s Scratchpad
A courageous young girl named Natalie got up in front of a church congregation the other day to tell what it was like to have cancer and to ask for blood donors. A plea from a brave
girl named NatalieNatalie, who at 12 has lost her hair and covers her head with a baseball cap worn backwards, recounted in a small but matter-of-fact voice how tired and nauseous she felt after chemotherapy, which is once every three weeks, and how much better she felt after a blood transfusion, once every six weeks. She also talked about how she had been mocked by other children for being different. She has taken heart, however, by doing something positive in seeking more blood donors not just for herself but for everyone. The congregation responded with 38 pints of blood, 24 from first-time donors.
Hawaii lags behind the rest of the nation in blood donors; only 2 percent of the people here have given blood, about half the national average. If you would like to respond to Natalie's plea, call the Blood Bank at 845-9966. It could save a life.
Richard Halloran
Richard Halloran is Editorial section editor.
He can be reached by e-mail at rhalloran@starbulletin.com