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There are things in our daily lives we’ve come to depend on—so familiar, we count on them without a second thought. We use them so often, we don’t even notice them anymore. You walk into a room and flip a switch, and the lights come on. You turn a knob, and water flows from the faucet. You reach for your phone, and the world is at your fingertips. You have a medical emergency or need treatment, and you’re taken to the hospital, trusting that help is waiting.
But what happens when something we’ve always counted on isn’t there?
There are some things we can work around when they fail. If the power
goes out, we light a candle or power up the generator. If your phone dies, we
borrow one or buy a new one. We improvise, adapt, or find temporary solutions.
But some needs run deeper—needs that no machine can manufacture, no shortcut
can replace.
In those moments, we’re left to rely on something profoundly human: the
charity of others. The quiet, selfless act of giving what only a human being
can offer.
And few gifts are more vital—or more irreplaceable—than blood.
I was in the Army, stationed just outside Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is
a city sure enough, but not one with the same level of medical infrastructure
as most.
It was a beautiful summer Saturday night. Our squad was relaxing in the
barracks when our leader came storming in, pounding on doors and shouting at us
to get into the hallway.
Once we assembled, he barked, “Let me see your dog tags.” He scanned them
quickly, then said, “Okay—you five, come with me. The rest of you, follow in
another car.”
As we sped down the highway, I leaned forward and asked, “Hey Sarge,
where are we going in such a hurry?” He replied, “I’ll explain more when we get
there. The hospital’s running out of blood. You want to help… right?”
One of the guys asked, “Why are we riding with you?” Sarge answered,
“You’re all Type O—the universal donor.”
When we arrived, there were already a few people gathered, clearly there
for the same reason. A hospital staff member came out and explained the dire
situation. The blood supply was already strained. Summer always brought more
accidents, but that day had been especially rough. A couple of serious car
crashes earlier had depleted their reserves. And just an hour before, a police
officer had been shot and was now in surgery.
He was bleeding heavily. The hospital’s blood supply was exhausted. A
shipment had been ordered from Seattle, but it wouldn’t arrive for another four
to five hours.
In the meantime, the hospital staff were preparing for a direct transfusion
donor to patient.
We were asked to fill out some paperwork, give a blood sample for typing,
and then donate a pint. That blood would go straight into the operating room.
As good soldiers, we lined up single file. As we were standing there and
talking among ourselves, more people were arriving. We all wanted to help for someone’s
life depended on it. Some told us they’d
heard a public appeal on the local radio station.
Several donors stepped out of the donation area and few of our guys went
in. Then, not long after, we got the news: the officer hadn’t made it. He’d
died in surgery. Our blood was no longer needed.
That night in Anchorage reminded me of something deeper that resonates
with our Masonic values. We often think of charity as money given, meals
served, or time volunteered. But sometimes, charity is measured in pints. It’s
about stepping up, offering something only human beings can give.
To give blood is to give life. It’s a gift that asks for nothing in
return. No recognition, no reward, just the quiet hope that somewhere, someone
will live because you showed up. This is the essence of Masonic charity.
Won’t you consider being that silent hero?
As Freemasons, we are called to be builders—not just of temples or
traditions, but of hope, healing, and humanity. Charity is one of our cardinal
virtues, and blood donation is charity in its most direct form. Its compassion
made tangible. Its brotherly love extended beyond our lodge walls, into the
veins of a stranger.
We may never know who receives our blood. But we know why we give it:
because we are Masons. Because we serve. Because we care.
To further understand the necessity of blood, I had the privilege of
conducting an in-depth interview with the distinguished Dr. Claudia Cohn of the
University of Minnesota. Her lifelong study has been of “all things blood”. She
is the director of the blood bank, Associate Director of Clinical Laboratories,
and the Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.
The interview with Dr. Cohn takes us inside the University of Minnesota
Medical Center, Masonic Cancer Center and the Masonic Children's Hospital, and
I think you will see the importance of blood in all those great works.
The first question I asked: Why is human blood still necessary today? Is
it not possible to manufacture blood the way we do other medications or
treatments?
The short answer to this is: There is no replacement for human blood.
Dr. Cohn walked me through an in-depth look at the research, but I will try
to shorten it.
The scientific community has certainly been putting forth a great effort
to address this dilemma. There have been three very close studies. The first
one led to heart attacks, the second led to lung damage. The third was very
promising and was determined safe, but the cost to make one pint of Red Blood
cells cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Maybe in 50 years blood will become
more affordable-but not today.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. someone needs blood every two seconds.
Dr Cohn says that in the US most blood goes to cancer patients with trauma
a close second.
Our University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute was the first in the
country dedicated to Stem cell research. They are finding success with
treatments at the Masonic Cancer Center with cancer patients, but blood
transfusions play an indispensable role.
For Leukemia, Lymphoma and other cancer patients, Allogeneic Stem Cell
therapy has had a wonderful success.
First the patient will undergo Chemotherapy to wipe out the disease and
the bone marrows. The patient will then receive stem cells. It’s a small miracle
that these foreign Allogeneic Stem Cells know how to home in the patient’s
marrow and begin to take up residence, this process is called engrafting. The
engraftment process can take weeks to months to take effect.
During this time the patient body has no marrow to produce red blood
cells, white blood cells, platelets or any other marrow elements.
As a result, these patients are completely dependent on transfusions. They
usually receive “At Least one red blood cell unit, and one platelet unit per
day until the engraftment is complete, and they can produce red, white blood
cells on their own. Again, this can take weeks to months.
The University of Minnesota Medical Center and our Masonic Children’s
hospital at the University of Minnesota is one of the oldest and most respected
and successful in the world.
They provide transplant surgery and care for kidneys, liver, heart and a
few other things. They have performed over 13,000 kidney transplants, 400 liver
transplants, and average 20-30 heart transplants a year.
For a liver transplant it’s not uncommon to use between 10-100 units of
blood, red blood cells, platelets, plasma for a single operation.
Heart and Lung transplants will not need as much but will require a
considerable amount.
Kidney transplants will need anywhere from 0-2 units of blood.
I asked Dr. Cohn how much blood and its products were used at the University’s
hospitals.
She stated that last year they used 18,000 Red Blood Cells units, 15,000
Platelets units, and 9,000 Plasma units.
Now, keep in mind of my story at the beginning of this talk. I asked Dr.
Cohn what life would be like at our university if the blood supply were to be
dramatically reduced or exhausted? And how would that affect her research?
Dr. Cohn stated. “If we ran out of blood patients would die. This occurs
in other countries around the word, where the second major cause of death is
still maternal hemorrhage during childbirth, with women dying, because there
isn’t enough blood on the shelves. Here in the US, there are shortages that
affect rural areas the most, with many hospitals using air transport to send
critical patients to hospitals with good blood availability. That’s for trauma.
For Cancer patients, many would die much more quickly if they didn’t have
access to regular blood transfusions.
“My research focuses on the best kind of platelet for patients, especially
stem cell transplant patients, who usually need at least one unit of red blood cells
and one unity of platelets every day. My ability to continue with my academic
work would end if we didn’t have enough blood. I think most of my day would be
spent on the ethically different matter of deciding who gets the limited amount
of blood that is available. We have plans in place for a blood shortage crisis,
and we almost had to implement some of these plans during COVID, but we were
able to make it through thanks to the many donors willing to risk exposure by
coming to blood centers with masks on’.
I asked Dr. Cohn for her advice for and opinion of a person thinking about
donating blood.
She stated, “I always tell people there is no other way to use an hour of
your day to regularly save lives’. But in terms of giving blood this is an easy
message. Our bodies are incredible factories, producing red blood cells, platelets,
and plasma on a constant basis. Our bodies also have mechanisms in place to
increase production of red blood cells and platelets if we have low levels. But
here is something to keep in mind: Normal platelet counts are between 150,000-450,000
platelets per microliter (a microliter is less than one drop of fluid) As a
physician, I don’t recommend a platelet transfusion until your platelet count
drops below 10,000. This means our bodies make so much extra to keep us safe.
As for red blood cells, so long as we have good nutrition (plenty of iron in
our diet) we continue to produce high levels of red blood cells our whole
lives.
I think I have demonstrated the need for blood donation in our community,
and I haven’t even talked about the sudden blood lose events that I’m so
familiar with like shootings, stabbings, accidents or just routine operations
in hospitals.
Only three percent of eligible donors in America provide the nation’s
blood supply. In Summertime when these donors go on vacation, and the increase
in sudden blood loss events, the blood supply gets low.
As Minnesota Masons our traditional concepts of Masonic charity have
generally been to write a check where it contributes to great things that
Minnesota Masonic Charities do or working at Salacious or a pancake breakfast
to perhaps raise money for a local cause or to give a high school student a
scholarship or to just help the Lodge raise money to pay its taxes. Of course,
we are quick to throw in a few bucks in the Masters hat when it comes to helping
a poor distressed Master Mason. These are noble and needed acts. But they are
one step removed from the people they help. Blood is different. It’s immediate.
It’s direct. It’s personal.
This may be your first time thinking of donating blood as Masonic charity.
But we are not alone. There are seven
Grand Lodges here in the US that have established programs.
The Grand Lodges of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Maine have
created the Masonic Blood, Organ, Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Donar Program. Their
motto is “Sharing the Gift of Life”
The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is very proud that they are the largest
single donor in the state.
The Grand Lodges of Texas, Virgina, Rhode Island all have programs that
promote blood donation.
These programs reflect a broader commitment to what we are used to in the
Masonic commitment to charity and public service.
You can rest assured that somewhere, kept cool and ready, a pint of your
exact blood type lies in wait—not by coincidence, but because a stranger chose
to give, asking for nothing in return. They never knew your name, only believed
that their gift might reach someone in need.
Not every Brother can give blood; but every Brother can give
encouragement. To inspire another to donate is itself an act of service.
Charity takes many forms, and each one strengthens the bond of humanity.
Let us be known not only by the light we carry, but by the life we help
preserve.
For every act of charity, whether it comes from a wallet or a vein-we reaffirm
the values that make us Masons.
Won’t you consider being that silent hero?
I am especially grateful to John Schwietz of Minnesota Masonic Charities and to Sandy Majerus of the University of Minnesota Foundation for they opened the door. Their thoughtful introduction led me to Dr. Claudia Cohn whose expert insight brought clarity and depth. It's a reminder that generosity takes many forms; sometimes its knowledge, and sometimes it's simply knowing the right person to call. Thank you all for being part of this journey.
