It’s a love story when blood donors meet
Donating blood is an act of kindness that has many positive — and sometimes totally unexpected — effects in return.
For East Texan Caitlin Pilcher, a last-minute decision to donate blood was a truly life-changing choice.
Caitlin shares her story on the twist of fate that happened when she stepped up to help others:
On March 18, 2013, my life completely changed for the better.
My sister and I had just finished lunch at the Rogers Student Center at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. I was going to head to class, but she wanted to go donate blood. They were having the 50 Gallon Challenge that they do every year with Carter BloodCare; since I was going to receive extra credit for that class if I donated, I decided to go.
When we were filling out our pre-donation questions, my sister had made a joke which made this guy behind us laugh. He had a firefighter shirt on, so we asked him if he knew some other firefighters we knew, which he did, and the rest is history.
I met the most amazing man who was everything I never knew I needed. He invited me to church on Easter about two weeks after that and I came to have a better relationship with the Lord.
We both finished our educations at TJC and went on our chosen career paths. My husband is a firefighter here in Tyler and I am an MRI tech.
We got married Oct. 21, 2017 and decided to try a 50 gallon challenge of our own at the Carter BloodCare location in Tyler. We had about 10 gallons donated, I believe.
We’ve had so many amazing adventures together, but parenthood has been my favorite.
We are about to celebrate eight years of marriage, and 12 years together.
We have two beautiful little girls, one who is four years old and one who is five months old.
Luckily, the Lord is still at the center of our lives and we’re so grateful for God’s timing that He put us in the right place at the right time.
Local patients need your help. Please donate this week at your neighborhood Carter BloodCare donor center or mobile blood drive. You just might make a connection that lasts a lifetime.
And, if you’ve ever received blood or platelets, your patient experience can motivate others to donate and save more lives. It’s easy yet powerful; just Tell Us Your Story.