With the New Year just beginning, many people like to set resolutions or goals for themselves to conquer throughout the year. Some people aspire to lose weight, find a new job or lead a healthier lifestyle. Me, on the other hand, I have a different goal in mind.

Ever since I can remember, I have dreaded going to the doctor's office. I tremble with fear and recede into the corner as soon as the doctor walks toward me, pointed needle in hand.

I panic as the thought of getting my finger pricked enters my mind. My face turns ghostly white, my vision goes black, and my ears fill with ringing. My intense fear of needles prevents me from doing the thing I want to do most: give blood.

Although I feel faint donating blood to those in need, I also feel revitalized because I realize that blood must come from someone willing to give away their most precious gift, which not everyone is able to do.

Blood is not something that can be taken as a multivitamin or artificially produced when needed; instead, you must get it from another person. And that is why I want to conquer this fear––I want to help give life, especially when there’s an ever-growing need for blood donations.

In fact, thousands of blood donations are needed each day, yet only three out of every one hundred Americans actually choose to donate their blood. And this is where I come in: My goal is to overcome my fear and contribute––to become the fourth person out of a hundred––to happily offer blood to people in need.