I would not be alive today without blood and blood products! Our story could have turned tragic… I could have not been able to watch my baby and kids grow up. My husband could have been a grieving widow raising our kids. So many ripples of grief… but I’m here! I’m so grateful to be alive and it’s because of donors like you! Your generosity saved my life! This campaign means more to me than I can put into words and I hope to make it an annual event around my birthday to celebrate life! In high school I remember being so excited when I became old enough to donate! I made appointments like clock work, they said my blood was special and would be given to babies. How amazing to know my donations helped someone and was available to me when I needed help myself! 

When I gave birth back in November 2022 I ended up needing an emergency c-section and having my tubes removed. I’m anemic because of my iron deficiency but I never needed surgery until now. My blood pressure was so low even before my surgery, I ended up losing alot of blood and needed 2 units then. 

On January 8th 2023, 8 weeks postpartum from having my babygirl Genevieve, we were enjoying the evening as a family. I had the baby while heating up dinner in the oven. I went to go pee and noticed a peach sized blood clot had fallen and hit the floor. I was on the phone with my mom at the time and told her what was going on. I took a picture and was going to call my doctor. I was contemplating calling her now or in the morning since it was Sunday. I had decided to put on an adult diaper and get back to the kitchen. Within the next 5 to 10 minutes I felt blood gushing out. It didn’t feel normal and I kept asking my daughter if I was leaking. I asked her to get her dad and to take the baby. I waddled to the bathroom and stood in the bathtub so I could just rinse off and change it out. My husband came in the bathroom with me and I flipped my diaper down. There was so much blood pouring out along with chunks of blood clots. I felt so nervous because it wasn’t normal. My husband and I locked eyes and he said I’m calling 911. He left the room and I start feeling dizzy. I’m leaning on the wall and feel my weight drop and I just slid down and sat in the bathtub. I was lightheaded and dizzy and started crying. I was scared. He said the ambulance was on the way and in my mind I’m just talking to God. Please help me. Please save me. Please hurry. Please protect my kids. Please keep me awake. Please don’t let me die. I kept telling myself I’m ok, it’s ok, everything’s gonna be ok. I was like what do I do? The paramedics came in and asked if I was still bleeding or if I felt like I could walk to the porch. They couldn’t get the gurney to me. We shoved a towel into a diaper and I was like let’s go. I put on slippers and my robe and walked outside to be strapped in and taken in the ambulance. When we got to the hospital it was chaotic. 

The ER was packed and no one seemed to understand what was happening. I told them I can feel blood gushing out but since I had a towel down there they didn’t see anything. I am starting to feel intense pain. Everything hurt and I was so weak. I tried to advocate for myself. Crying and talking (it felt like being drunk with slurring). They were trying to find a vein anywhere but I had lost so much blood my veins were flat. I started throwing up and that made me bleed more. My poor husband was so scared for me. He said I was turning white. People were everywhere and it felt like they were taking forever. I remember yelling out my blood type over and over and saying “please save me” and “I don’t want to die”. It was horrible. I heard them saying maybe it’s a miscarriage but I said I had a baby 8 weeks ago. I started getting more scared. I was trying to rip my diaper so they could see how bad it was. Blood was waterfalling off the gurney and I was getting weak, it was hard to talk and I couldn’t see because my vision was going in and out. I knew I had lost too much blood and they were not moving fast enough. I remember a bright room and more people everywhere. Now I felt like a fish out of water. I couldn’t advocate for myself anymore, I laid still taking small gasps for air. At this point Joe said I had IVs giving me blood all over (my neck, my stomach, my leg) I just remember white light and seeing myself with my family and I thought this is it, I’m dying. 

When I woke up I was in ICU with a tube down my throat and on a ventilator. I couldnt see either because they removed my contacts. I was told I lost a lot of blood and the only way to save my life was to remove my uterus. I was given 12 units of blood, 8 of platelets and other blood products. It was sureal and scary and all happened so fast.

They said I had a Delayed Post Partum Hemorrhage, super rare to have it happen this far out after delivery. I’m just so grateful 🙏🏼 to my husband for acting fast, to the doctors and medical team and for anyone who has ever been a blood donor! They saved my life! I had doctors and staff from that surgery come find me in the hospital to meet me and see me alive and talking. They were scared too. It’s a miracle I’m alive. That my organs didn’t start failing. 

If you’ve ever given blood, thank you! Your donation saved my life. They gave me another unit of blood before I left the hospital and my anesthesiologist came to see me. He gave me his side of the events and didn’t know if they had enough blood to give me during surgery. He was worried for me and had to come see for himself. Again just such an unbelievable experience that I never thought would happen to me. 

My little PSA is if you donate blood, thank you! If you’re able to please consider donating 🙏🏼💕