Tampa, Florida
I suffered a spinal cord injury from a diving accident when I was 14 years old. As a result, I'm a C5-C6 Quadriplegic and confined to a power wheelchair.
Since I was still growing when I had my accident, my spine curved and was impeding my breathing. Therefore, I had to have a spinal fusion.
I suffered a massive amount of blood loss during this surgery and had to have 12 units of blood. Thankfully, this blood saved my life!
Again, a few years ago I had a wound vac for an area on my ischium and woke up on a Sunday afternoon with blood everywhere.
I was rushed to St. Joseph’s Emergency Room where I was again given two units of trauma blood and an additional two units once I was admitted, once again saving my life.
I'm a strong advocate for blood donation, as I would not be here today if it weren't for blood donors.
