Type O - Universal Donors
A person with Type O blood is said to be a "universal donor" because they can donate blood to anyone. A person with Type AB blood is said to be a "universal receiver." I have Type O blood, which may explain why I like to donate lots of things (much to BigTimes great disconcern). Unfortunately given some of the countries I travel to the Canadian Blood Services has not really been all that keen about me donating blood.
Now I've heard this story several times, and I've retold it enough times to have embellished it with my own magical realism of the actual events, but my parents can always clarify for you since I was too young to remember...
When I was born I was a little more yellow than Peruvian-Chinese babies (or Sino-Latinos, as J-train would say) should be. I developed jaundice and I guess the phototherapy treatment was not enough to give me back my sunny complexion. So I needed a blood transfusion from someone, who like me, had Type O blood.
My father had a co-worker in San Juan de Marcona, Ica (a not-so-big mining town) - Mr. Manuel Roman; and he graciously helped me out by donating his blood. The story goes that he had never done such a thing before and I've always felt quite honoured that he would do this for me.
Well, everything comes full circle eventually and yesterday, the Peruvian elections took place and a voting station was set up in the gymnasium of our Church. My parents had heard that the new Peruvian Consul to Vancouver was named Carlos Roman and they had a sneaky feeling that he was the son of Manuel Roman. So they headed to the voting station to see if this was the case, and truth be told, he was.
So on my way home, I thought I'd stop by to introduce myself and to say Thank You. Consul Carlos Roman seems like a lovely man and he said he would surely call his father in Peru to let him know that he had met me and that I had sent a message thanking him for a very special gift he gave me 30 years ago.
There you go Type-O's, good on you for being universal donors. Don't forget that you can make an incredible difference in someone else's life.
Now I've heard this story several times, and I've retold it enough times to have embellished it with my own magical realism of the actual events, but my parents can always clarify for you since I was too young to remember...
When I was born I was a little more yellow than Peruvian-Chinese babies (or Sino-Latinos, as J-train would say) should be. I developed jaundice and I guess the phototherapy treatment was not enough to give me back my sunny complexion. So I needed a blood transfusion from someone, who like me, had Type O blood.
My father had a co-worker in San Juan de Marcona, Ica (a not-so-big mining town) - Mr. Manuel Roman; and he graciously helped me out by donating his blood. The story goes that he had never done such a thing before and I've always felt quite honoured that he would do this for me.
Well, everything comes full circle eventually and yesterday, the Peruvian elections took place and a voting station was set up in the gymnasium of our Church. My parents had heard that the new Peruvian Consul to Vancouver was named Carlos Roman and they had a sneaky feeling that he was the son of Manuel Roman. So they headed to the voting station to see if this was the case, and truth be told, he was.
So on my way home, I thought I'd stop by to introduce myself and to say Thank You. Consul Carlos Roman seems like a lovely man and he said he would surely call his father in Peru to let him know that he had met me and that I had sent a message thanking him for a very special gift he gave me 30 years ago.
There you go Type-O's, good on you for being universal donors. Don't forget that you can make an incredible difference in someone else's life.
posted by Paola at
9:32 a.m.
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