Two gallons

Back when I was 11 years-old or so, my Dad took my sister and I to Disney World for a vacation. I was really into pins at the time, and I remember wanting to get pins of all the flags of the different countries represented at Epcot Center. I kept them on a hat I'd gotten there.

When we got back from the vacation, I remember my Dad giving me the pin he got when he reached the two gallon mark in blood donations. He gave my sister his one gallon pin -- a silver drop with the Red Cross emblem in the center -- but he gave me the two gallon pin -- the gold one.

At some point, I remember having lost that pin. Whether it was due to a bad butterfly clutch or my own carelessness, I'm not sure, but I've always felt bad about that. I've never forgotten the look of disappointment on my Dad's face when he noticed it was gone.

Two gallons is an awful lot of liquid. It may not seem like much when you're drinking milk every day, but try dumping out two full gallons of water on your kitchen floor some time, and it'll make quite a mess. Then imagine that being blood, 17.7 pounds of it.

That's what my Dad sacrificed to help other people, and my pre-teen self had to go lose the pin. Ever since I've been old enough to donate blood it's been a goal of mine to earn one back for him.

Well, it took a while, but back in July I donated my 16th pint of blood, reaching the two gallon point myself and getting my own two gallon pin.

I sent it to him while I was at NTC. Now, twenty-four years after I lost his, I feel like I've repaid a debt. It's a silly thing, definitely not something he had ever worried about, but it meant something to me.

We had a good talk about it.