“I have been donating blood for years, but my story is about how receiving blood saved my life.”

In September 2007, Cheryl—a longtime blood donor—received a lumbar disc tissue transplant during surgery. A week and a half later, the disc cracked, forcing her to undergo corrective surgery. Instead of surgeons operating from the back, which was more common, they operated through her abdomen, which, so soon after her first surgery, caused her to lose too much blood.

“I was in enormous pain, and incredibly weak,” Cheryl says. “The next day, I could barely lift my head and my blood count was very low. I received two units of blood, which made a huge difference in my recovery. Without the blood, I don’t know if I would have bounced back.”

But Cheryl’s ordeal didn’t end there. Surgeons operated two more times to correct issues, but Cheryl experienced complications that have left her disabled with a damaged root nerve, which causes chronic pain. Still, she’s grateful for the blood donors who helped her pull through early on.

“It has been a long road, but without the donation of someone’s blood, I don’t know how I would have come out of that second surgery,” she says. “To me, it was a lifesaver.”

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.