Dez Dearborn shares her first-hand account of the lifesaving power of blood transfusions:

On January 21, 2022, at 10:43 pm, my husband and I welcomed a healthy baby boy via C-section. After the surgery, we were moved back to recovery to bond with our baby – but I remember very little beyond this point.

Unbeknownst to my husband and me, an artery was damaged during my C-section, and I experienced severe internal bleeding throughout the night. My blood pressure dropped to dangerous levels, my heart started racing, I became nauseous, and my vision began going in and out. By the time anyone realized what was going on, I had lost almost two liters of blood into my abdomen.

What could have been a tragic ending to my story is now a story of triumph because I woke up on January 22, 2022, due to a life-saving emergency hysterectomy. Equally important to the surgery were the multiple units of blood I received from the American Red Cross when I was most vulnerable.

When a person needs blood, time is not on their side. They cannot wait for the hospital to try to find it elsewhere if there’s a shortage; there are no synthetic substitutes. You cannot accept a blood type that you are not compatible with, and you also can’t get a donation from someone on the spot and turn it into usable blood for a transfusion. Had the hospital been unable to find blood for me at the very moment I needed it, I would not be here today.

So as I approach the first anniversary of the day that could have been my last, I’m asking you to donate if you are able. Just one hour of your time could save more than one life – and I am forever thankful to be one of those lives saved by donations from the American Red Cross.