A second chance, shared through community
As a sixth-grade social studies teacher transitioning into a new role as a school counselor, Jennifer Heintskill thought the exhaustion she felt was simply part of a packed season of life. But over time, the fatigue became impossible to ignore.
“The fatigue wasn’t just, ‘I’m tired,’” she said. “It was drop-dead tired.”
She also began noticing unexplained bruises across her legs. During a family trip to California, Jen realized something was seriously wrong when she struggled to walk through the San Diego Zoo without becoming winded.
Not long after returning home, lab work revealed her platelet count had dropped to dangerous levels. Soon, her red and white blood cell counts began falling, too. After months of testing, procedures and uncertainty, Jen was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare condition that prevents the body from making enough new blood cells.
Her only long-term treatment option was a bone marrow stem cell transplant. Until a donor match could be found, blood and platelet transfusions helped keep her alive, giving Jen and her family more time together.
“I was transfusion dependent for probably six months – blood two days a week and platelets three days a week. It was like a full-time job,” Jen said. “If I hadn’t had those blood transfusions, I wouldn’t have made it to live long enough to get the transplant.”
Eventually, Jen received the call that a donor match had been found through the registry. As she prepared for transplant, her family quickly built a plan to help carry them through the months ahead.
“When things got hard, all of my sisters and my sister-in-law stepped up to help,” Jen said.
Tiffany Skilling, Jen’s sister-in-law, was one of those helpers. At first, Tiffany accompanied Jen to transfusion appointments. Later, after Jen’s transplant, Tiffany stayed in Michigan for weekends at a time to help care for Jen during recovery.
Turning gratitude into action
As Jen recovered, Tiffany wanted to find a meaningful way to honor her journey and encourage others to donate blood.
“She came to me with this idea that she was going to start some blood drives in my name,” Jen said. “I just thought that was so amazing.”
“It’s important to let people know that when they’re going through something you can’t even imagine, you’re there for them,” Tiffany said.
What started as one blood drive has grown into a larger community effort. The drives have become known for their energy and creativity. During October drives, participants often dress as vampires to help make the experience more welcoming and fun.
“When you make light of it and you have fun with things like that, it’s infectious,” Tiffany said. “People want to be a part of it.”
For Jen, seeing others rally around blood donation has become one of the most meaningful parts of her story.
“She’s using her connections to bring people awareness and bring people together and have fun doing it,” Jen said. “I think that’s the coolest part.”
People need people, make a difference in someone’s life by donating blood.
We must rely on each other for the gift of blood, and patients in your community rely on the generosity of Versiti’s blood donors to help. Please consider scheduling an appointment to donate. If this is your first time, donating blood is quick, easy and relatively painless. And, it is a great way to give back and help patients in your community.
