Sandy Pasch can still remember the first time her dad took her to give blood. She has been a donor ever since.

Starting in 2000, Pasch donated her time as an American Red Cross volunteer to help the homeless. A few years later, she joined the chapter’s Board of Directors. A year ago, she decided she wanted to dedicate her time to public service as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Through it all, that first appointment has led to a lifetime of blood donations.

In 2008, Pasch took on a new and unfamiliar role, as a blood recipient.

Pasch was campaigning door-to-door when she fell and broke her hip. To repair her bone, and regain her mobility, she underwent surgery at a local hospital and received two units of blood. Two units donated by an anonymous donor who took the time to help someone else. It’s a story Pasch can relate to.

“I can talk about the importance of donating blood because I received it,” she says.

Thanks to that donor, Pasch could heal and resume her daily routine---working, volunteering, running in the morning.

“I am very fortunate,” she says.