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Marianna, Florida
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Matias Family
After their 2-year-old daughter Jazmina was diagnosed with leukemia, Dominic and Rebecca watched her receive countless blood and platelet transfusions.
“Each bag of donated blood became a lifeline, buying us precious time to hold her hand, to play her favorite songs, to give her all of our love,” Rebecca said. “They were a gift, made possible by complete strangers who took the time to donate blood.”
During her three months of chemotherapy treatments, Jazmina often needed urgent blood and platelet transfusions. Some days, she needed multiple transfusions just to keep fighting.
“Looking back on everything that she went through, I don’t think most adults could have been that strong,” Rebecca said. “It was dozens upon dozens of transfusions, and they kept her alive for her treatment. “
The family had no idea how critical blood donations were, until they saw the impact on their daughter first-hand.
“Every time Jazmina received a blood transfusion, her body immediately rebounded. You could see her perk up. You could see where it truly made a difference.”
-Rebecca
Though Jazmina tragically passed just months after her diagnosis, the family is eternally grateful for the extra time blood donors gave them with their baby girl.
“I don’t know if people understand the gravity of what they do when they provide a blood donation,” Rebecca said. “Your donation could be the reason a family gets one more birthday, one more bedtime story, one more chance to say, ‘I love you.’”
To honor Jazmina’s memory and raise awareness for childhood cancer and the importance of blood donation, they began hosting blood drives on her birthday.
“It was something so special to our family, and something that helped Jazmina through her cancer process,” Rebecca said. “It was a no-brainer for us to celebrate her in that way. When people started coming up to the Big Red Bus, it felt absolutely amazing. Watching each person come up, it just felt like I was keeping my daughter’s memory alive.”
Rebecca hopes sharing Jazmina’s story will inspire more people to give blood and help other families like hers.
“To anyone who donates, we extend our heartfelt gratitude,” she said. “Blood donation doesn’t cost you much, but to families like mine, it’s priceless.”
