OUR STORY

On the morning of January 2, 2025, we welcomed our third daughter into the world. After having two babies in a hospital setting, I had finally had my dream birth, in the comfort of our home. What started as a beautiful celebration, rapidly turned into something that we could have never imagined. 

Quickly after our daughter was born, I began to lose blood — far beyond what is normal postpartum. Our midwife quickly called Fort Bend EMS, and made it clear that we needed blood immediately. When they arrived, I was coping well. I was running on adrenaline and the euphoria that comes after having a child and experiencing those first moments in the world. 

Once I made it onto the ambulance, I rapidly transitioned into hemorrhagic shock. I was cold and exhausted. And then there was pain. The feeling started in my stomach, and made its way up to my chest. It felt like my heart was on its last push to keep my body running. At that moment, I remember turning to my midwife and the paramedic and saying,

“I feel like I’m dying, am I going to die?”

In the moments that came next, I remember the inner dialogue of whether or not I should close my eyes, and give into the exhaustion that was setting in. I remember my midwife starting to ask me any and every question to keep me awake, and stroking my hair to feel comforted. I remember the paramedics rushing to get a line started to begin blood transfusion. I remember them making the decision to turn on lights and sirens. What I didn’t recognize is that they were in position to start resuscitation.

After that, things were a bit of a blur as I focused every ounce of energy I had on just staying awake. I knew that if I closed my eyes there was a chance that I might not wake up again, and I was terrified that I would be leaving my three daughters and husband behind. Then, I remember seeing them wringing the last bit of blood into my system as I became more alert. Because of the immediate access to blood, I arrived to the hospital awake, and in a more stable state. Because of the immediate access to blood, I am alive today. 

What most people don’t know is that less than 1% of ambulances in this country carry blood. 

We feel blessed that we live in a county that has adopted the whole blood program, but it devastates us that preventable deaths happen every day in counties where blood is not available before the hospital doors are reached. If this program was adopted nationwide it could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives annually, and that is why we are passionate about this project.

The average person has 5-6 Liters of Blood in their body.

My Total Blood Loss: 4.6 Liters

Whole Blood Transfusions: 4