BY DIANNA PRUDEN, MT (ASCP) SBB
Blood Bank and QA Manager,Exempla Lutheran Medical Center

On September 7, Dianna Cillessen arrived at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center anticipating the birth of her second child. After carrying her baby for 39 weeks, she delivered a healthy, 8 lbs. 3oz. boy named Beau. Then the unexpected transpired. With no warning, Dianna began to hemorrhage. For the next few hours a team of doctors, nurses, and medical professionals worked at a furious pace to keep Dianna alive.

While the average adult holds approximately 12 units of blood in their body – Dianna received 41 units that day. At one point, Dianna had no blood pressure or pulse.  Dianna experienced an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). Most women, including women who have had children, have never heard of it because AFE is so rare that most physicians will never encounter it in their professional careers.

Due to the amazing skills of the medical staff and the 41 unknown blood donors, Dianna survived this traumatic experience. It is no wonder that Dianna’s anesthesiologist told her, “You are a miracle!” It took the right combination of professionals and citizen donors to save Dianna Cillessen and bring Beau’s mom home.

 Health Benefits of Donating

While the most obvious benefit of donating blood is the wonderful feeling derived from giving something vital to someone who needs it, the benefits of donating blood may extend far beyond this to having a positive impact on the donor’s health. Here are some of the possible benefits as a result of you regularly donating blood:

Lower Iron Levels – each time you give blood, you lower the iron levels in your body which can help reduce the risk of heart disease. High blood iron levels have the potential to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease because iron accelerates the oxidation process of cholesterol in the body, which damages arteries.

Decrease Cancer Risk – when you donate, you could impact your cancer risk. According to a long-term study that was conducted on over a million Scandinavian blood donors, the more an individual donated blood, the lower their chance of developing some types of cancer, according to Miller-Keystone Blood Center. The study pointed to blood donation lowering cancers of the liver, lungs, colon, stomach and throat

Replenish Blood – by donating blood, you replenish your blood supply. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reports that when you donate blood, your body replaces the plasma volume within 48 hours of donation and all of the red blood cells you lose during donation are completely replaced within four to eight weeks.

Someone needs blood in the US every two seconds and one pint of blood can save up to three lives. The need for blood increases during holidays and summer months.  Donating is easy and only takes about an hour. Visit www.bonfils.org or call 303.363.2300 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Dianna Pruden is the Blood Bank and Quality Assurance Manager in the Clinical Laboratory at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center.