After giving birth to her first child via emergency C-section, Morgan White wanted to plan ahead for her second. “As I prepared for my second child to be born, I scheduled a C-section, because I was nervous to go naturally,” she says.

Not long after she scheduled her surgery, Morgan got a call from Versiti, inquiring about donating her placenta. Donated birth tissue is normally discarded after birth, but if donated, can be used for treatments like skin grafts, to repair ulcers and for other wounds. “I didn’t know much about it, but you can use it for people who need it,” Morgan says. “So, I said, why not?”

Morgan gave birth to her daughter Tessa as scheduled, successfully donating her birth tissue. “Just knowing it went to people in need made me really happy,” she says. Now, she encourages other expectant mothers undergoing scheduled C-sections to consider birth tissue donation. “If someone was considering it, I would tell them why not give something that’s just thrown away, to someone in need?”

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.