By Cailin Acosta
SAN DIEGO – Comic-Con is here, and the energy in the downtown area is alive with many dressed up in costumes of familiar superheroes and lesser-known characters from shows on FX and SYFY.
Among those superheroes are the ones who donate blood at the San Diego Blood Bank, which was held inside the Hyatt Hotel, two hotels down from the Convention Center. I became eligible to donate at the beginning of July, but I was waiting to schedule an appointment during Comic Con since the available “swag” is limited edition. This year’s shirt is promoting the Marvel Comics film Fantastic 4, which is in theatres this summer.
Many donors I talked with were giving a double pint, which makes their eligibility 16 weeks rather than the 8-week criteria. We can associate that with a double chai. Each pint can save up to three lives. Those heroes are saving up to six lives, yasher koach! With all the walking I would be doing, I figured I should stick to my usual donation.
When I recovered from my donation on Wednesday, July 23, I made it into the Media Preview night and ran into a good friend from Temple Emanu-El who was volunteering at the Blood Drive booth. Cecile Fleetwood and her daughter were getting people to sign up to donate and had samples of the “swag” available to those who donated and would be entered into a special drawing. Fleetwood mentioned this is one of her favorite events to help at since the costumes are always so cool, and the people watching are also a plus.
As I wore my “O–is my Super Power” shirt, I got many high-fives and fist-bumps from the geeks and the nerds in the halls and was thanked for donating and saving lives. I am always humbled and grateful that I can do something so simple.
*
Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.