Blood relatives: about the family we choose with our hearts.
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
They say that you don't choose your family, but over the past 10 years of work of the "With an Angel on a Shoulder" Charity Fund team, we have become convinced that a real, big family can be created. And what unites it is not a common surname, but something much deeper - a common calling of the soul and a willingness to share life. Our large donor family was born over a decade ago. It all started with a small but dedicated initiative group of the foundation's volunteers and the most active donors. Then we set ourselves the goal of not just collecting blood, but to radically change the culture of donation for the better - to make it conscious, warm and permanent.
This is how our project with the symbolic name "Golden Donor" was born. Why "golden"? Because it was based on the donation of platelets - blood cells of an amazing golden color, which are vital for children with cancer. These people shared their inner gold to give children back their childhood and future.
And more than 7 years ago, our “gold” and donor blood became a new, super-important shield — we expanded our assistance and directed our efforts to save and rehabilitate wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Today, our family unites absolutely all spheres of life, erasing any social boundaries. Our large circle includes doctors who fight for their lives at work every day, and then themselves sit in donor chairs. Here, state builders and devoted volunteers stand shoulder to shoulder, courageous military personnel who protect us at the front, and media workers who maintain information defense. Next to them are priests who share love for their neighbor not only in word, but also in deed.
Sometimes entire traditional families come to us. There are no positions or ranks in the corridors of the Blood Center. Everyone is equal here. People of different professions and ages meet here, who in ordinary life might never cross paths. But by becoming a donor, everyone automatically becomes part of our blood brotherhood. You won’t hear loud speeches or pompous slogans here. Our family members come calmly, with a slight smile, do their quiet business and simply return to their daily worries. For them, it’s as natural as breathing or lending a shoulder to a neighbor. This is not a feat for show — it’s a way of life.
We don’t shout about heroism. We simply know: thanks to this quiet unity of completely different people, somewhere in a hospital ward a child recovers, and in a hospital a wounded defender opens his eyes. And a particle of our common gold, strength and warmth now flows in their veins. We thank everyone who has been a part of our quiet but incredibly strong family of “Golden Donors” for over 10 years. You are guardian angels who, without unnecessary noise, keep the sky over those who need it most.
Here are some links to albums with stories about our large family of donors from @With an angel (happy people):
