Joan
Mother, Donor and Blood Recipient
Kelsey
Daughter, Blood Recipient and Survivor
The first time I gave blood was 25 years ago, when a co-worker asked me to join her.
I remember the feeling of satisfaction I had after giving that first pint. As the years passed I continued to give blood regularly, often bringing my children with me when I donated. It never occurred to me that the need for blood would strike so close to home. In October 1999 I was hospitalized for 12 days and needed two units of blood.
And four months later my teenage daughter was hospitalized because of some mysterious bruises on her upper arms and abnormally low blood counts. She needed multiple transfusions of red blood cells and platelets during that first of many hospitalizations. She was in treatment for three years, during which she received over 250 blood transfusions. Volunteer donors saved my daughter's life.
Today, she is a beautiful 23-year-old who is healthy because of people like you and me. We gave when someone asked us to. And we continue to give because another person's life depends on it.