Susan Salisbury
My name is Rachel Salisbury and I had the privilege of interning in the Public Support Department of the American Red Cross during the summer of 2005. It was interesting going to work at the Red Cross because my mom, Susan Salisbury is someone fairly familiar to many Red Cross staff in the Heart of America Region in Peoria, IL. The reason for this is because in 1999, my mom spent three lifebattling months at the Order of Saint Francis Medical Center fighting a rare blood diseased called Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Pupura, also known as TTP. After receiving more than 1,200 units of blood, my mom is still alive today.
When she was sick, I was just a freshman in high school. The thought of my mom not being around to guide me through high school, college, and even my adult life was unimaginable to me. Without readily available blood from the Red Cross that unimaginable thought could have been a reality.
As a public relations major I chose an internship with the Red Cross because I felt compelled to work for an organization that made an impact on people’s lives. It was a rewarding experience. Throughout my internship I was surrounded by the importance of donating blood. I read stories about blood recipients, helped develop campaigns to attract donors and saw Red Cross ads that actually gave me goose bumps.
Thankfully, because my mom is as healthy as could be, I rarely think back to the time when I woke up everyday in fear that I would lose my mom. When I worked as an intern for the Red Cross the memories of my mom’s illness and the thousand plus units of blood she received re-surfaced, and with them my feeling of extreme appreciation that cannot even be expressed in words. My internship re-emphasized to me the importance of every blood donor, each employee and each volunteer who helps to hold the organization together.
To this day I want to say to the blood donors, thank you for granting me the honor and privilege to still have my mother. To the employees and volunteers of the Red Cross, thank you for dedicating your busy lives to this organization that truly saves lives. You are all heroes to me.