The website will undergo scheduled maintenance beginning at 11:00 PM on September 8th. During this time, some functionality will be unavailable. We thank you for your patience and support of our lifesaving mission.
Vero Beach, Florida
- Give Blood
- Why Give
- Get Involved
- Our Impact
- View Promotions
Briana S.
My son’s birth was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. Instead, it became the day I almost lost my life. After delivering my baby, I experienced a catastrophic postpartum hemorrhage. I lost my entire blood volume four separate times, and each time, it had to be replaced. By the time I left the hospital, I had received almost 50 units of blood products in total. I required emergency surgery, including a hysterectomy, to save my life.
In the process, I lost my uterus and was suddenly thrown into surgical menopause. Everything changed in a matter of hours. I will never forget lying in that hospital bed, knowing that my life had come dangerously close to ending while my newborn baby was waiting for me. My family was terrified. I was terrified. I had to fight my way back physically and emotionally while learning how to live in a body and life that no longer felt like the one I knew. There are parts of that experience that I will carry with me forever - the trauma, the grief, the fear, and the realization that I was given another chance to be here for my children.
That is why blood donation means so much to me. I know firsthand that blood donors can make the difference between life and death. I may never know the names of the people whose donations helped save my life, but I will forever be grateful to them. Because of blood donors, I am here today. I am here to raise my children, love my family, and watch my children grow. My story is a reminder that behind every blood donation is a person, a family, and sometimes, an entire lifetime that gets to continue.