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Colleen
Karma
After my mother's need for transfusions in 2000, I became a devoted donor, donating as often as I could at a local hospital. Little did I know that ten years later, I would need four units from fellow Oneg folks. As I lay on my bathroom floor, bleeding out, refusing to lose consciousness, I knew I had to fight. After signing the authorization to receive the transfusions, I said a silent prayer for happiness and health for those people who took time out of their lives to donate so I would live. I refused to give up, and they decided to give. As soon as I am able, I will once again be a donor.
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Abbey
Femur Bone
I was a typical middle schooler. One day I was jumping on a trampoline and broke my femur bone (upper leg). I shattered it into pieces and the bone got pushed in to my pelvic area. I had two emergency surgeries to prevent the bone from going into my back and paralyzing me. After losing a lot of blood throughout the two surgeries (pretty close in time), I had a very minimal amount of blood in my system. After a few days I could not move my fingers or my toes, I had lost the will to eat because I had no blood in my system. The doctors thought my blood cells would rebuild themselves because apparently children's blood duplicates faster than an adult's. After a week of this, I finally received 2 blood transfusions and was eating the next day. The blood transfusions saved my life. THANK YOU!
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Christen
A whole new outlook....
On July 26,2009 I delivered my second baby girl. All was well for the first 6 days after delivering, then on day 7 i woke up and breastfed my baby girl and I got up to use the restroom and a gush of blood ran down my leg. I screamed for my husband. My 2 yr old daughter awoke horrified by the amount of blood everywhere. I called 911 and it took the ambulance 45 mins to get to my house, once I got to the ER I sat there for 8 1/2 hrs before receiving a DNC bleeding horribly the whole time, only to find out that placenta was left in me and I had lost 2/3 of my blood and needed 4 bags of blood transfusion. The whole time I was at the hospital I begged them not to let me die. I felt as if my life was flashing in front of my eyes and I would never see my beautiful girls again. I was devastated, I thought it was the end of the road for me. I kept telling my husband all kinds of stuff to tell my kids for me. I could tell by the look on his face he thought for sure I wasnt gonna pull through it. So, I must say the saying of: donate blood you'll have someones undying gratitude is 100% true. THANK YOU to all you blood donors out there. If it werent for you guys and gals I wouldnt be here today to see my girls grow and learn. It was definately a big eye opening experience. I have a whole new outlook on life!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wish I could find out whose blood it was.......
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Joshilyn
DOubel Dog Dare
You guys saved my life. Thank you. I blogged about it today and encouraged all our readers to give blood-- Joshilyn Jackson
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Lici
84 units of LOVE
On August 13, 2004, I received 84 units of blood from 83 wonderful strangers! I suffered an amniotic fluid embolism when delivering my son in Toledo, Ohio. With only a 20% chance of survival, I beat the odds thanks to the great care I received and the blood that was on hand during those critical hours. The a.f.e. caused my heart to stop twice, go into DIC, which was followed by a week in a coma, feeding tube, and ventilator.
I am now alive and well thanks to 83 beautiful strangers!!! I have done over a dozen speaking engagements for the Red Cross and for area churches and just love it! The Toledo chapter used a picture of Andrew and I for some advertising which I was so honored to be a part of. If you ever need me for anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. I am forever in debted to you and would love to give back in any way that I can!
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Danielle
My 5 year old is alive thanks to blood donors!
When my 5 year old son was diagnosed with cancer, our world turned upside down. One of the first things the emergency room determined was that he was severely anemic and low in platelets. He received 3 bags of whole blood and platelets within hours of his diagnosis. Since then, he has had 11 blood transfusions and is doing very well. He will continue to receive at least one transfusion per month for the next 2 1/2 years. With all of the fear and trauma associated with cancer, availability of blood has never been one of them. Blood has always been there for my son thanks to good people who donate. We are so grateful. Thank you!
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ALEXANDRA
new mom
9 weeks ago I had a beautiful baby boy. I have wanted to be a mother as long as I can remember. He was large, but healthy.
A week later, I was recovering well and suddenly started bleeding. And bleeding, and bleeding. We raced to the local hospital, which is 8 minutes away - I passed out twice enroute. Doctors worked on me for hours and I had 2 emergency surgeries and several days in the intensive care unit. I received 19 units blood, plus platelets and fresh frozen plasma.
I am now feeling well and slowly building back my stength. The baby is starting to laugh and coo. He is thriving.
I am so thankful to all the people who donated blood products - they saved my life and allowed my son to have a mother. We will be heading to our local Red Cross to donate as soon as I am able :)
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Amber
Six Good Samaritans
I donated starting when I was 18. I always tried, but often times my iron was just under where it needed to be. Well, in summer of 2005, while in college I began experiencing suicidal thoughts, debilitating migraines, blurry vision to the point of not being able to drive or read my class work. After several ER visits, the doctor performed a CT Scan which found a malignant Archnoid Brain Cyst completely blocking spinal fluid flow to that region of my brain. I began medications, but I adversely reacted to it. So I began the long process of "getting better." I underwent five surgeries over the span of eleven months. My story of the Six Good Samaritans comes into play with surgery number three. While being treated at home through a mid/picline with round-the-clock for post-operative meningitis I began getting light-headed and unable to move. The on-call nurse said to go have a roommate drive me to the store to get a few thigns for what she thought was wrong. On the way out of the store, I passed out. Long story short after an ambulance ride and several tests I was being transported to larger hospital for what they thought was a tumor in my abdomen. The next morning the surgeon came to meet with me, said I would be last on the surgery list if there is time otherwise I would be the next day. They took vials of blodo to type me, precaution for all surgeries. Less than an hour later several nurses and doctors came in and hooked me up to blood transfusion. I was losing blood, rapidly, and my body could not keep up. Two pints later and emergency surgery, the doctors removed my left ovary adn fallopian tube that has ruptured and caused an ortusion (sp?). The "tumor" was really a 13-cm diameter blood clot. The pain I was experiencing was the blood filling in behind my organs because it had stopped clotting. I lived August 16, 2006 because of six people who unselfishly gave blood.
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Amy
Maine Survivor
At the age of 18, I became ill with chest pains and was diagnosed with asthma. My illness continued to progerss and, after years of problems, I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension. I was told I would need a lung transplant to survive and was placed on the organ donor list.
In 2004, I flew to the Cleveland Clinic for a bilateral lung transplant, a nine hour surgery with a recovery time of more than a year. Most of the recovery time was spent in the Cleveland Clinic with my family and around-the-clock medical team.
I'm Type O+ and "broke the bank," using close to 400 units of blood in a very short amount of time.
Today, I'm a volunteer for the American Red Cross Blood Services. I volunteer because I feel the need to give back what so many people gave to me.
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Wendy
Beating the Odds with the Help of Blood Donors
In the summer of 2009, life threw a curveball at Wendy Aide when she was diagnosed with a JAK-2 mutation – a condition that causes her bone marrow to create more red blood cells than her body needs.
“She had a lot of pain in her side, by her portal vein. I could tell by looking at her that her stomach was getting a bit bigger and she was starting to get jaundice colored so I decided that we had to go to the hospital,” said Randy, Wendy’s husband. “They did a CT scan on her, and detected a blood clot and rushed us to the University of Wisconsin Hospital.”
After she arrived at the hospital, Wendy underwent surgery to remove the clot from her portal vein – the main vein that brings blood from the intestines to the liver.
In one evening, Wendy required a transfusion of 25 pints of blood. She was in the hospital for about a month – with Randy by her side. “It was touch and go for at least a week. Without the wonderful doctors and blood donors, she wouldn’t be here today,” he says.
Once her clotting problems have stabilized and the internal swelling decreases, Wendy will need additional surgeries to finish repairing muscles in her abdomen that were affected during the initial surgery. Additionally, she will need to have her red and white blood cells checked regularly to determine if her condition has developed into leukemia.
In November 2009, Randy became a first-time blood donor at the community blood drive honoring Wendy. Janesville-area residents turned out in droves to support Wendy and patients like her who need lifesaving blood. At the two-day event, over 150 pints of blood were donated through the American Red Cross.
“I never thought about donating before. It was really easy – there was nothing to it. I didn’t even feel it. It was probably 5 to 10 minutes, and I’ll continue to donate forever,” Randy said about the experience. “Because of blood donors, Wendy got a second chance and we both got a second chance. Donating blood is very important.”
To continue following Wendy’s story of hope and recovery, visit her website: caringbridge.org/visit/wendyaide.
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