Written by Lori Baker

After giving birth to a healthy baby boy, Angelena Fly’s joy turned into terror as she suddenly felt very ill.

As she was hemorrhaging blood, emergency ICU nurses frantically saved her life by pumping seven bags of blood into her.

In her darkest moment, strangers she will never meet stepped in (through donating blood) and saved her life.

“If a complete stranger didn’t donate, I would not be here today. I wouldn’t be a mother to my two children,” Angelena said. “In my situation, there was really nothing that modern medicine could do without blood. I never thought that I would rely on another human to be alive. ”

What could have been only trauma became purpose.  She hosted an American Red Cross blood drive at work and donated herself. Thirty-one units of blood were collected.

Thirty-one more chances to save a life. Thirty-one more chances a mom can go home. Thirty-one more chances to fill the blood bank when there is a shortage.

Angelena is determined to give others the same second chance she was given.

“You never know whose life you’re going to save. Five minutes with a needle in your arm in comparison to giving someone a lifetime,” Angelena said.

People Angelena never met saved her. Now she’s making sure many others will get that same gift.

Blood donors of all blood types — especially type O — and platelet donors are urgently needed now to ensure patients at hospitals across the country continue to receive critical medical care.

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Whether it’s a person giving birth, a child with sickle cell disease receiving a transfusion or a cancer patient undergoing treatment, access to blood and blood products is a necessity.

The American Red Cross is the nation’s largest single supplier, providing about 40% of blood and blood products. Each day, the Red Cross must collect about 12,000 units of blood at approximately 500 blood drives in order to meet this constant and urgent need.

Blood donation appointments can be scheduled by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, downloading the Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

Come to give blood by Oct. 18 and the Red Cross will send you a $15 e-gift card to the merchant of your choice.