Alone, fearful and in pain, pinned inside her vehicle that was lodged in a ditch, Michelle Arguelles silently prayed that fate would soon take a kinder turn.

A few minutes later and a several miles away, Michelle’s sister, Lezlie Avila, was among LifeStream staff receiving the call from a local hospital for an emergency shipment of blood. There had been a serious accident. The victim needed to be immediately transfused.

Michelle Arguelles received the blood she needed. Lezlie Avila resumed her duties. Later, the two sisters pieced together how the decency and goodness of volunteer LifeStream blood donors brought them into the same, lifesaving circle. Always close, Michelle and Lezlie now had another permanent, unforgettable link.

And a mom had a message of gratitude for those she’ll never know or meet. “Thanks to blood donors,” Michelle said, “I can be there for my kids.”