In November 2018, Janell was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of cancer in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow never mature to become healthy blood cells. Her doctors scheduled her for a bone marrow transplant in April 2019 and gave her four cycles of targeted chemotherapy to prepare her body.

After the fourth round of chemo, Janell developed severe bone marrow failure and her body began making antibodies against her platelets, leading to severe nosebleeds. Versiti found matched donors who were able to provide the platelets Janell needed, allowing her to receive the bone marrow transplant that saved her life.

“In the grand scheme of things, I’m with my family, I’m here—it’s all OK,” she says. “I can’t say enough about what Versiti has done.”

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.