Exceptional A lost battle with leukemia Mother by Pangalactic Blood Of Life writing prompt entry Artwork by simonka at FanArtReview.com

Sometime in October 2004, I received a call from my dad with the news that my mother's leukemia was now terminal. The aggressive chemotherapy treatments and the prayers weren't enough. My mom would be leaving the cancer clinic in Vancouver and going home to Kelowna for the remainder of her life. I immediately quit my job and moved to Kelowna to be with my mom and family. Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer of the blood marrow and blood cells. Myeloid cells are precursors to other blood cells. In AML however, they don't develop normally. They mutate into monsters that are ineffective at carrying out the imperative work that healthy blood cells normally do. The body eventually loses the ability to carry oxygen in red blood cells, to clot the blood with platelets, and to fight infection with white blood cells. The five year survival rate of an AML diagnosis is around 28%. On Dec 13. 2004, my mother died in her sleep, in my dad's arms. If it weren't for the many blood transfusions, and the influx of healthy donor blood into her body, my mom would have died much sooner. This is how I found out my own blood type of "O negative." I wanted to become a blood donor myself so that I might help keep someone else's mother, father, loved one, alive longer. I thank with all my heart all those who take the time to donate blood. You are very literally saving lives, extending lives, allowing moms to live for perhaps one week longer so that a son can take the ferry boat across the strait and be with his mother one more time. Writing Prompt Write a story that is 300 words or less about any subject. The story must feature a character who reveals his/her blood type, be it O, A, B, or AB and + or -. The reason may be a blood transfusion, donating blood, solving a crime, being a vampire, or doing the Blood Type diet, etc. Author Notes If you aren't already, please consider becoming a blood donor. You could make an incredible difference in someone's life, not just for the blood recipient, but for the loved ones of the recipient as well. Plus you get free juice and all the Oreos you want on the way out :)

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