In honor of our Mom celebrating her upcoming 63rd birthday, I am asking those who know this incredibly strong and eternally positive woman to join us in celebrating her life by donating blood! Or maybe you don’t know Barb personally; I promise she would brighten your day in a heartbeat!! 🙂

In March of 2023, following an elective hernia procedure, Barbara was suddenly in emergent need of donor blood to save her life. No less than 11 pints of blood plus platelets (more than an entire bodies worth!) were used to save her life in the operating room that night. In the days, weeks, and months that followed, she endured more agony and life threatening circumstances than I can even begin to recount; more than any human should ever have to experience!

-Weeks in the ICU
-Not eating for over 40 days due to perforations in her stomach
-Being airlifted from Pensacola to Gainesville for further treatment
-Having multiple midline abdominal surgeries
-Overcoming pneumonia
-And when her body was finally able, hours of PT relearning how to do the most thoughtless tasks like walking and opening doors.

Its impossible to capture in few words but simply put, she was suffering in every way. Her medical records are hundreds and hundreds of pages long and that actually feels like a miracle because if it weren’t for donor blood transfusions that first night, Mom would not have survived to be able to continue on.

There were dark days when my hope felt shaky and I didn’t know if she would see her next birthday, but Praise God! She is ALIVE and able to tell about her experience and for that, we celebrate!!!

It’s no simple ask; I recognize the great effort in adding something to an already busy schedule, and maybe even a fear that must be overcome to donate blood. No one hates a needle more than Barbara herself, and trust me, she met plenty.

But someone, somewhere may be given another chance at life because YOU gave blood!!

Your blood could save the life of a mother fighting for her life after giving birth, or a child who was in a car accident, or a routine surgery where the patient needs a little more support, or a gun shot victim, or someones wife / mom / grandmother with a lot of sunsets left to see 🙂 We may never know the need. But there is a major shortage and your blood can make a difference.

Our goal of 78 pledges represents every day Mom spent in the hospital!
Please consider donating in her honor 🙂

Happy Birthday, Mom! This one feels extra special. WE LOVE YOU!!!