Life takes courage, willpower and determination. But for those struggling with their mental health, this can be an especially daunting task. Choosing to address often painful and traumatic issues requires a tender tenacity in order to love oneself unconditionally. 

Joleigh Mandera knows something about this; the Helena High School senior shared this on Facebook last summer:

“Today I am so proud of myself for making it to 17 despite all the pain that made me want to give up….Every time when I was on my knees sobbing unable to breathe, I made it. I didn’t give up.”

Figure skating, roller skating, reading, baseball. Pretty pens, rainbows, anatomy, words - these are all things that have become beloved parts of Joleigh’s world since seeking help.

“Things I’ve gotten the opportunity to love that I otherwise wouldn’t have,” she wrote. 

Another thing she’s happy to have discovered -- donating lifesaving blood. The simple act was born from a last-minute decision to participate in a blood drive held at her high school.

“I was nervous, but I wanted to participate and help out,” she wrote.

That decision would have a profound impact on Joleigh’s motivations for moving forward.

“Last year on my birthday the Red Cross sent me an email that said, ‘Your act of love, kindness, and generosity means that someone else might be celebrating another birthday, too, because of you!’, and that made me sob,” she wrote. 

She believes donating blood has the power to save the lives of others, including her friend, who required blood transfusions following an accident.

“While it’s not my blood that flowed through his veins, it’s the blood of someone in a cycle of generous people donating that saved his life, a cycle I’m part of,” she wrote. “If he hadn’t had access to blood he wouldn’t be here today, and I never would’ve been lucky enough to meet him.”

Joleigh says being a part of “the cycle that saves” not only inspires her to keep donating, but continue living.

“When things get hard and I start to get depressed, I can remember just how important my life is,” she wrote. “Not only do I bring value to the world in so many ways, but I also save lives on the side, which is pretty cool.”

Joleigh is proud to live her life by leading with love. She’s raised money for Shodair Children’s Hospital for her Girl Scout Silver Award, advocated for inclusion in the church and gained an appreciation for all that life has to offer - good and bad. 

“I worked so hard to be here, and I haven’t let the pain turn me into someone mean and cold,” she wrote. “Instead, I’ve become someone who loves so hard. I’ve made my life worthwhile.”

An ice-skating coach, a youth teacher, a good friend, a mentor, a Red Cross blood donor -- Joleigh is proud to be called all of these. She treasures opportunities to offer support and acceptance of others in every area of her life.

“I’ve spread my love all over hoping that nobody else will feel the pain that I’ve felt, but also even if they do, know there is still good in the world,” she wrote. 

Joleigh graduates in June and is excited about what the future may hold: more ice skating, learning how to ref hockey and new career possibilities.

“Here’s to four long years of fighting and a lifetime of love and life to get to experience,” she wrote.

Part of that experience will be spent in a Red Cross donor chair, with the hope others get another chance at life.

“I really like the quote ‘When you give blood, you give another birthday, another anniversary, another day at the beach, another night under the stars, another talk with a friend, another laugh, another hug, another chance,’” she wrote.

Joleigh recently shared more about her inspirations around donating blood in an essay for an English class. Here's what she wrote:

I believe that if you are able, donating your blood is one of the most important and honorable things you can do. Donating my blood has always been something I've enjoyed and felt proud of myself for and recently I had an epiphany about it. I was sitting outside late at night talking with a friend about some heavy life experiences we'd had. He had just told me the story of what I imagine to be the worst day of his life. After, he reflected on how he tries to live everyday doing something to make his spared life worthwhile, rather than wallowing in feeling like he should have also died. I mentioned how donating my blood makes me feel proud of my existence and the fact that I didn't end my life. It's tangible proof of the good my continued life has brought into the world; my blood allows another person the potential to continue living or have a better quality of life. “They say the average car accident victim needs 100 pints of blood,” I said. “I can only donate one at a time so that really puts in perspective for me the need for blood and the importance of donating.” I looked over at him as he replied, "You helped save my life. I needed blood." That simple response hit me so hard; I've never had a personal connection to the importance of donating my blood until now. I've known and believed that it's good, but I haven't had someone look me in the eyes and make it so evident how powerful my benevolent choice is. Looking at someone I care deeply about and realizing that in a long-complicated way the donating of my blood has allowed him to live long enough to enter my life stirred up so many different emotions in me. Most of all I felt existential: I'd never realized how interconnected we all are and how much our good deeds impact those around us. While it's not my blood that flowed through his veins, it's the blood of someone in a cycle of generous people donating that saved his life; a cycle I'm a part of. Because of him I'll never be able to donate again without seeing his face and the theoretical faces of everyone else who is a part of the cycle that saves. The donors, the phlebotomists, the lab techs, and other personnel who allow for the cycle to exist in the first place. I'll never be able to donate again without remembering that my choice saves not only the people I love but the people others love. Without me, and other donors, my friend wouldn't be here today, and neither would millions of other people's loved ones. I believe that donating blood is one of the most selfless and commendable things you can do, as it shows an intense level of compassion for those whom you will never meet.

Inspired by Joleigh?  Head to www.RedCrossBlood.org, type in your zip code in the search bar and sign up for a blood drive near you. Or, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, available in the App Store and Google Play.