Wilmington Woman Donates Blood in Honor of her "Spanish Sister"
"When I was in college, I studied abroad and lived with a Spanish family in Salamanca, Spain. I formed an instant bond with them, especially my "Spanish sister" - Yolanda Esteban Lopez - who was three years younger than I. We became as close as if we were related by blood.
PICTURED: Irene and her "Spanish sister," Yolanda, in the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca, Spain, in 1995.
In 2003, Yolanda was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable bone marrow cancer. In an unbelievably sad irony, my own mother had died of the very same cancer years before. Yolanda died in 2005 at just 55 years of age.
As the first anniversary of Yolanda's death approached, I wanted to do something to honor her memory. Because Yolanda required countless blood transfusions throughout her many hospitalizations, I decided to help those who need blood transfusions today. I called Blood Bank of Delmarva and made an appointment to donate on April 12th - the day that would have been Yolanda's 56th birthday. I have donated blood on her birthday every year since and I always leave the center feeling uplifted and encouraged. In my heart, I know that somewhere, somehow, Yolanda knows... and appreciates the gesture."
- Irene L. of Wilmington, Delaware - Blood Bank member since 1972
