Every eight weeks I donate blood to the Red Cross. Partially because it’s the right thing to do; mainly because I’m a sucker for a free juice box.Last week, however, the RNs at the Red Cross wouldn’t let me donate, after they did a routine blood test and found a rather low level of iron.
I went to my doctor, and he was slightly concerned about it being either anemia or, worse, cancer. He drew a bunch of blood, and I waited a long 48 hours for the results. On Friday he called and all results were negative. Right on.
What may have happened was a result of my month-long mission to get in as great shape as possible for my next short film, which has been delayed due to camera malfunction. A lower-calorie diet combined with an increase in exercise (I’m kicking the elyptical’s ass) can cause what my doc referred to as “marathoner’s anemia,” in which athletes beat their bodies into lower iron levels.
So I’m truly relieved. And now I’m gonna make public a promise I made to myself if I turned out I was life-threatening disease-free: I’m going to work three times as hard as I already was on my acting career. And like my friend Michelle once said, “When Matt Shevin sets his mind to something, he does it.”
It’s a good day to be alive in Hollywood. Stay tuned.
