I remember the day my sister told me she might be pregnant. She took a pregnancy test and it was positive! I went along with her and her fiancé to the doctor's office and it was confirmed! She was pregnant and I was going to be an aunt. My sister had a great pregnancy and I enjoyed going to doctor's appointments with her and seeing sonogram pictures of the baby.
The day my nephew was going to be born came quickly and I was so excited to finally get to meet him. He was perfect and healthy and beautiful! While my nephew was getting checked and cleaned up in the nursery, my sister was having some minor complications. Her heart rate was elevated and since she lost too much blood with the c-section she was going to have a blood transfusion. Before the birth of my nephew my family was lucky to never have to worry about surgeries and blood transfusions. I never knew how common it was for pregnant women and newborns.
Did you know that every two seconds someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion of donated blood? We were lucky because my nephew was born in January, each summer blood donations are known to drop about 20%. This is when donations of all blood types-A's, Bs, ABs, and Os are most needed.
It was scary to hear that my sister needed a blood transfusion but I was so thankful that the supply of donated blood was available to her. She recovered quickly and came out of the hospital on time with my healthy nephew. My nephew is now 8 years old and is a super smart 2nd grader.
Since my nephew's birth, my dad and mother-in-law have had blood transfusions after surgeries. You don't understand how important it is to donate blood until you or a family member needs one. I wanted to share the story of how I became an aunt to help bring awareness to the Missing Type campaign. From this campaign I have learned that "one in 7 people entering the hospital needs a blood transfusion."
"One whole blood donation has the potential to help up to three patients. Blood can be donated every 56 days, up to six times a year."Please check out the Missing Type Campaign to learn how you can sign up to donate blood. The Missing Type Campaign is looking for all of us whether we are As, Bs, ABs or Os to help by donating and helping to save lives.
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