By Stephanie Dunn Ashley

Loyal readers of this column will know that I am a lifelong blood donor, and proud of it. But people may not know why I choose to donate blood so often.

When I was a child, I had a younger brother. For five years, I watched him battle against childhood leukemia before he passed away. The impact that other peoples’ blood had on my brother’s life, those moments of joy with him and our family that I will always treasure – no matter how faint those memories may now be – is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

One of the challenges with undergoing chemotherapy is that bone marrow function is suppressed, which impacts the body’s creation of platelets. This makes it harder for blood to clot, increasing the risk of prolonged bleeding and spontaneou

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