On January 12, 2009, I arrived at the hospital to deliver our fourth son via cesarean. The surgery went without a hitch and our beautiful baby Reid was born! It became apparent very quickly that I was losing a lot of blood. I was monitored throughout the day as my blood pressure was terribly low and the bleeding was not subsiding. I was given two pints of blood and still there was no change in my status. At 4 pm, as my husband arrived with our other three boys, my blood pressure became very unstable (60’s over 40’s) and I was suddenly extremely critical. Within 12 hours of giving birth via cesarean, I was whisked back into surgery…which was not an ideal situation. At the time of surgery my hemoglobins were about a 7 and they continued to drop. With the medical staff doing all that they could to save me, I ended up having a very unplanned hysterectomy. By the end of the surgery I had received a total of 7 pints of blood. Without the selfless act of someone donating blood, I would not be here to enjoy my children. Thank you for donating!

I will be returning the favor.

Patricia Kohel