Jerald Slomka
Back in 1985, I was a Senior at St. Francis High School. I was an Honor Student and a Varsity Letterman in Football and Academics & Fine Arts. I was driving with my best friend and brother in the car. We left school one January afternoon and took the shortest route home (as you will see, not always the best decision). The county was doing road work on a warm winter's day and left gravel on the road. Temperatures that day had reached 51 Degrees and the snow banks had melted and the gravel froze. My car slid, bouncing between guardrails and finally using one as a ramp off the road. The car flipped over, hitting the front-end first and then the rest of the car, the roof crushing us inside. I was near death, in a coma due to a head-injury. My friend and brother suffered broken bones and other injuries. I received a lot of blood in the hospital because of my severe injuries.
A few years ago, I started donating blood and Platelet-Pheresis. I now donate on a regular basis to pay back the blood I used in my car accident. For those who are hesitant, come on in and save some lives! Remember, the life you save may be your own.
It is a personal commitment and desire for me to donate blood and save lives through organ donation.
