On Nov. 10, 2021, at 33 weeks pregnant, Victoria was resting when she felt a “pop,” figuring her water broke early. But it was something much worse: she had started bleeding heavily. Her mother-in-law rushed her to the local hospital, where doctors did an ultrasound and diagnosed her with a placental abruption, which could be deadly for both mother and child. “I was terrified, thinking something had happened to our daughter,” Victoria says.

Victoria was loaded onto a helicopter and flown 30 minutes away to UK HealthCare in Lexington, KY, which was better equipped for any emergencies that could arise. Doctors put her on magnesium and ordered bedrest; at 37 weeks, she was taken in for a C-section and successfully delivered her daughter.

But a week after getting home, Victoria could tell that something wasn’t right. Her mother-in-law took her back to the local hospital, where doctors discovered that her C-section incision hadn’t been closed correctly and an infection had developed. Worse still, Victoria’s doctor told her that the hospital that performed her C-section should have given her blood transfusions to replace what she’d lost during surgery. She received two blood transfusions right away, helping her recover.

Victoria credits the doctor at her local hospital with saving her life. “Without her, I wouldn’t be alive, and possibly neither would my daughter,” she says. Now, she encourages others to donate blood and help families like hers. “I share my story today, because without blood donations, me and my daughter might not be here. Thank you for your donation.”

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.