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Stories of Inspiration

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Send us a story about an inspirational donor, recipient or supporter. Please include the person’s person name, phone number and e-mail address along with you contact information to Monique Dugaw at monique.dugaw@inbc2.org.

Jim

“My motivation comes from the fact that life was good to me
so I decided to return the favor as a volunteer,” - Jim

Jim, part of an avid family of INBC supporters, began volunteering as a courier for INBC in 1999, three months after retiring from a 35 year career as a university administrator. Since then Jim has driven nearly 40,000 miles for INBC. His wife, Charlotte has also developed a commitment to give blood - she ranks among the very top donors at their church blood drives. Jim and Charlotte’s daughter-in-law, Karen, donates blood as well. Her daughter, Alex, is a senior at Ferris High School and first gave blood as a student there. As a youngster she was stricken with ITP, a condition where one has a low platelet count. During this time she received numerous platelet transfusions and is now living a very active life participating in sports and other rigorous activities. Jim and his family say they know, first hand, the importance of donation and the services provided by INBC and thus make it a priority to help the organization near and dear to their hearts.

Katie

“Strangers helped to give me my life back --- that’s the lasting
impact one donation can have on another human being.” — Katie

Just before she headed off to college, Katie was diagnosed with Aplastic anemia, a disease of the bone marrow.  With this condition, the bone marrow stops making enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets for the body. Any blood cells the marrow does make are normal, but there is an insufficient amount of these cells. People with a severe form of Aplastic Anemia, as Katie had, are at risk for developing life threatening infections and severe bleeding disorders. Katie’s brother, Jon was a marrow match and thus provided Katie with the marrow for the transplants she needed to survive. In the course of her treatment, Katie received an incredible 200 red blood cell transfusions combined with 250 platelet transfusions.

Jayson

“I am so grateful that there was blood available for me and now
I’ll be the first one in line to donate now.”— Jayson

As a child Jayson and his sister were hit head on by a drunk
driver. The impact of the crash was so great that Jayson and his
sister were both critically injured. Jayson was thrown from the
truck and had severe trauma to his face and head. He required
countless units of blood in order to survive the horrific crash.
Jayson turned tragedy to triumph. He now organizes blood
drives through the company he works for – Greenstone, and
donates as often as he can.

Ann

“It wasn’t until everything was said and done that I realized how
close to death I was.”— Ann

Ann was six weeks pregnant with her second child when one morning she began feeling sharp pains in her abdomen. The doctors told Ann she had what was called a ruptured ectopic pregnancy – meaning the fertilized egg she was carrying had implanted itself outside the uterus. These pregnancies are dangerous because as the fetus grows, it will eventually burst the organ that contains it and can cause severe bleeding – endangering Ann’s life. Doctors told Ann the situation was dire, as she had been bleeding internally for hours. Ann was rushed into surgery and transfused with three units of blood. Ann lost the baby she was carrying, but thanks to the generosity of donors, she was given a second chance at life and
motherhood. Ann recovered and later gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Jason

“I couldn’t give my life to save my wife, but now I can give of my
life to save others,” —Jason

One year into their marriage, Jason’s wife, Tina, suddenly became seriously ill. She had a condition known as Crohn’s Disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes scarring and thickening of the intestinal walls. The symptoms of this disease had flared up and she was immediately hospitalized. Tina developed a staph infection, which led her to develop ARDS, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
which made breathing nearly impossible. Tina was given 8 blood transfusions to help her survive. While Tina was in the hospital, Jason says he noticed an INBC blood drive going on in the hospital’s lobby. He knew Tina had needed blood transfusions during the course of her stay in ICU and he felt a calling to donate. A few weeks later, Tina had endured too much and passed away, but Jason’s passion for donation grew stronger. He continued to donate blood and now donates platelets as well, which allows him to donate every week and up to 24 times each year.

José

“Donors like the ones I serve every day helped to save me.”

In April 2004, José had a brush with death when a 2,000 pound door fell on him in a work-related accident. José’s right leg and pelvis were crushed. The injury was so traumatic and José had lost such a large amount of blood that doctors told his family that he most likely wouldn’t make it through the night. With the help of the Inland Northwest Blood Center, José received more than eight units of blood – and he survived through the night. Hospital doctors told José that he would never walk again. Again, José proved the doctors wrong. When he was able to get back to work, José made it a priority to give back to the organization that helped him have a second chance at life. He now works as a phlebotomist in Lewiston, collecting the blood products that once helped him to survive. “Now I’m directly responsible for helping donors save the lives of others. When you’ve been through what I’ve been through, you’re thankful to be a part of that.”

Morgan

“Without the transfusions Morgan received from generous blood
donors, she would not be alive today.”— Morgan's dad.
At age five, Morgan was suddenly transformed from a healthy and happy little girl, to a cancer patient. After an onset of illness, doctors discovered Morgan had a tumor. In the course of her treatment, Morgan underwent 33 radiation treatments, three major surgeries
and six months of chemotherapy in a valiant battle against cancer. Morgan received many blood and platelet transfusions that were necessary for her survival. Thanks to the generosity of donors, Morgan is the first documented patient to survive her particular kind
of tumor.

Amber

When she was just ten weeks old, Amber was diagnosed with a genetic blood disorder called “Thalassemia Major,” also known as “Cooley’s Anemia.” With this disease, Amber’s body does not produce enough oxygen in her blood. According to Amber’s parents, Danielle and Paul, Amber has received blood transfusions every two weeks since her diagnosis and she will continue to need those transfusions for the rest of her life. “Amber needs blood to survive,” said Danielle. “We encourage anyone who is capable of donating blood to do so, not just for Amber, but for anyone that may need blood. Her dad and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Caden

In November 2006, doctors diagnosed little Caden with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome (SCIDS), better known as the “bubble boy” disease. At just two months old, Caden’s immune system was so compromised, a common cold could be fatal. His best hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant. In April 2007, Caden’s parents, Josh and Melissa, received the news they had been desperately praying for. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) had found a match for Caden. He had his bone marrow transplant on April 27, 2007. Josh and Melissa are thankful for Caden’s second chance at life. They hope to inspire more people to join the NMDP registry. “It really brings life into perspective,” said Josh. “The more people we can reach out there, the more people we can get to sign up on the registry, the more families that are going to be able to watch their children grow up.”

Nicholas

In August of 2004, when he was just two years old, Nicholas was diagnosed with a rare disease that caused his skin to break out in blisters when exposed to the sun. It was discovered that Nicholas had a rare condition that affected his red blood cells and made him very sensitive to sunlight. In his treatment process, Nicholas received 49 units of red blood cells and 33 doses of platelets. Ultimately his cure came in the form of a bone marrow transplant. Today the disease is gone and Nicholas is back to being a fun-loving kid!

Brianna

At the age of 16, I was in a life-changing car accident. I, like many of you, was a careless teenager and thought that NOTHING could or would hurt me. Boy, was I wrong! I ended up crashing my car into two good-sized trees, breaking them off at the trunks. I lost an incredible amount of blood.

I was in a coma for 13 weeks and I stayed in several hospitals for nearly six months. During that time, I received A LOT of blood transfusions. I want to say THANK YOU! I am 18 now and enjoying every moment of life! Please donate blood whenever you can, because you never know when it will save someone else.