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Sarasota, Florida
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Julia
I used to be a blood donor at OneBlood until I became a recipient. I donated blood for the first time in 2020 with OneBlood because I always had the strong desire to give blood, and I never understood why. I ended up donating whenever possible and ended up doing so a total of three times until I no longer could.
In June of 2021, I was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. I ended receiving over 70 types of blood product transfusions, including platelets, red blood cells and plasma.
I never imagined that my unknown desire to donate and help others with my blood was because I would soon be in need of donations.
I am currently on my last cycle of chemotherapy, and I am immensely grateful for all that has been done for me, and especially the people who donate. I want to be able to help others by advocating and volunteering at blood drives. I have even gotten certified in phlebotomy so that I can work at them as a personal way to thank those who donate. Those people save lives and they saved mine. If I did not receive a transfusion immediately, my doctor said I would have passed away in a maximum of two days.