UCLA Blood and Platelet Center – Jennifer’s Story
Blood donors saved Jennifer's life
Due to confidentiality laws, most blood donors never know who receives their blood. Similarly, patients never learn the identities of those who donated their time and blood to save their lives. But a rare reunion organized by the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center changed that. A young mother who nearly died from massive bleeding after giving birth to her premature son was able to meet seven blood and platelet donors who sustained her life with their generous donations.
Jennifer C. expressed her gratitude for the 24 units of donated blood, plasma and platelets that preserved her life - and allowed her sons to have their mother.
Jennifer suffered uterine hemorrhaging after a high-risk cesarean section at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in April 2013. Only 5-feet tall, she lost five liters of blood - nearly her entire supply - and was hospitalized at UCLA for two weeks, with two days in intensive care.
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