How Blood Donation Changed My Life
By Olivia Roberts
03/21/2016
The year 2008 my family experienced a tragedy. My Aunt Kasey was 12 weeks pregnant with her first child. We were all very excited for her as she just found out from the doctor that day that she was 12 weeks along. That night she started to experience bad cramping so the next morning she went back to the doctor and was told that she may be miscarrying. They told her to go home and rest and not to get out of bed. She did just that! She rested for 3 days and then went back to the doctor and they told her everything was fine. She stopped at a restaurant and got food then headed home as it was noon and she had not eaten that day. As she was eating she felt a dull pain in her lower stomach. She described it as being so bad that she couldn’t stand up straight and felt like she was going to vomit. She went to lie down, as this worked before and perhaps this would help these symptoms. After about an hour or so she started to vomit and could not stop. Her husband took her to the local emergency room and after an hour there and many tests they told her that she had an ectopic pregnancy and her fallopian tube had ruptured causing her to bleed internally. She had lost 3 liters of blood in her belly that day. She was rushed to surgery and had her tube was removed laproscopically. During this time she was given 5 liters of blood with a transfusion. She survived this surgery; sadly I never got to meet my cousin.
I am so thankful for the blood donation and the blood bank she received that day in 2008. If it wasn’t for them I would be writing on how I lost both my cousin and my aunt that day in 2008. I am forever grateful for the donor that supplied that blood and the Oklahoma Blood Institute that supplied it to the hospital!
Today, I have an amazing relationship with my aunt Kasey and my 2 year old cousin, Nick. Nick was born June 2014, healthy as can be!! If it wasn’t for the blood transfusion she received in 2008 Nick would not be here! My mom gives blood every 30 days or sooner if they will let her. She believes that sharing our blood with each other saves lives. It doesn’t matter where the blood comes from, across the world or in your city, it saves a life! Donate!
Every country needs a blood center; I can imagine the help we could give each other in 3rd world countries! From catastrophic injuries to illnesses, blood donations could help! I plan on donating blood at my high school next year as I will be 17 years old and encouraging all my friends to do it as well. You just never know whose life you could change by a bag of blood!
Give blood save a life!