I was dependent on blood transfusions for years. Every two weeks I received 2-3 bags of donated blood because my bone marrow couldn’t produce enough or keep up with the destruction of my red blood cells by an unknown autoimmune disorder.
It was all very uncertain in the beginning, but medications were ultimately identified to treat my condition. We still don’t know why this happened to me, and as far as my doctors are aware, there are not really any other cases like mine. It was exhausting and frightening.
Without donors I wouldn’t be alive. Every time I went for a blood transfusion, it was an immense relief from the exhaustion I would be feeling, the headaches and hopelessness, as my body was literally dying. There are no words to describe my gratitude for receiving blood ― to feel life again, to not hear my heart pounding in my chest and in my ears, and to gain some energy back. Thank you is really not enough.
