April is Organ Donor Month.  Certainly a cause near and dear to my heart.  My father lived his adult life in need of kidney transplant.  After numerous childhood surgeries, his kidneys stopped working altogether.

He visited Charlotte, NC from Lake Norman three times a week for dialysis.  At one time, he was the oldest living recipient of dialysis in the Charlotte area.  I wanted to give him a kidney.  We shared the same blood type, but it was never a good match.

Regardless of the stress and pain from enduring dialysis and the general breakdown of his body over the years, he still maintained a cheery attitude.  He loved to play cards and when he had the ability loved Lake Norman and to work on the boats that traveled along it’s shores.  I recall much time spent at Midway Marina off Hwy 150.

I can tell you after losing many family members to failing organs, that blood will always be a need.  Easy donated by us, but desperately needed by many.  As April approaches, please take a moment out of your schedule to visit one of the many places opening their doors to allow for Blood Donations this month.

The local paper provided the following information:

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas will hold several blood drives in April.

They include:

• April 6, 9 a.m.-1p.m. at Covenant Bible Church, 2168 Gastonia Hwy., Lincolnton

• April 8, 4-7 p.m. at Denver Fire Department, 3956 N.C. 16 N., Denver

• April 9, 1-5 p.m. at Practical Nursing Student Association at Gaston College – Lincoln Campus, 511 S. Aspen St., Lincolnton

• April 12, noon-3p.m. at Sabo USA Inc, 1001 Lincoln County Pkwy., Lincolnton

• April 12, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at East Lincoln High School, 6471 N.C. 73, Denver

• April 17, 4-7 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 216 S. Aspen St., Lincolnton

• April 22, 4-7 p.m. at Lake Norman Lutheran Church, 1455 N.C. 16 N., Denver

April is Organ Transplant Month. An average of 79 people receive organ transplants daily. Every transplant procedure requires a blood transfusion of several units of blood, but the blood must be compatible.

Blood donors must weigh at least 120 pounds.

Call 704-972-4700 or visit http://www.carolinadonor.org to make an appointment at any location.

More public drives can be found at Community Blood Center of the Carolinas’ website, http://www.cbcc.us.

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas is a nonprofit community-based blood center and the primary blood supplier to 19 regional hospitals, serving patients who live in 16 North Carolina counties and three South Carolina counties.

For more information, visit OrganDonor.gov.