How the Lifesaving Gift of Blood Keeps on Saving Lives
By Mary Jo Blackwood, American Red Cross of Colorado Public Affairs Volunteer
In a story described as both wonderful and horrifying, Dr. Kaitlin Vellore’s path to parenthood left indelible gratitude for the lifesaving ability of blood donations.
Several years ago, as a young pediatrician, Vellore and her physician husband Ajay were in residency in Florida and decided they wanted to start a family. That turned out to be a lot harder than they had anticipated. Finally, after several miscarriages and rounds of in vitro fertilization, she became pregnant. She tells how that felt, “Naturally, I was very anxious, considering my history, but the pregnancy went well. The baby seemed healthy from the start. We had since moved to the Denver area and I decided I wanted to have my baby delivered at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver because they had a great program if something went wrong with the birth. Apparently, this baby was in no hurry to be born and was post-mature before I was admitted to St. Joe’s for labor induction.”
Despite the induction, it was a long and difficult labor, but finally, their son Devin, all 7 lbs. 11 ounces of him, was born by cesarean section in good health. After the delivery, Kaitlin went to the recovery room, where she started feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Her blood pressure dropped significantly and her uterus was filling with blood. The team acted quickly to get her back to the OR, but it wasn’t as simple as they hoped. They couldn’t stop the bleeding. Her blood refused to clot and she needed 41 units of blood before another interventional radiology procedure stabilized the bleeding and she could be sedated, intubated and moved to the ICU. Her husband and her parents, who had flown in from the East Coast to see their new grandson, were beside themselves.
Even though she was unconscious with a tube down her throat, the ICU staff thought she could benefit from skin contact with Devin. Her baby was brought in and laid on her chest. Gradually, she started to wake up and caress him. After that, she recovered quickly and the tube was taken out of her throat so she could talk and breathe on her own. She was moved to a regular hospital floor and discharged a few days later in good health. But the experience left a lasting impression on Kaitlin.
“People were surprised that I even survived that, and so was I, looking back. My body was just overwhelmed. If it hadn’t been for the blood being there to replace all I lost, I wouldn’t have made it. I regularly thank the two anesthesiologists who worked in the OR and used the blood products to keep my blood pressure up and save my life.”
She decided that her story could help other people, so she became committed to raising awareness of the value of donating blood. To celebrate Devin’s first birthday, she and her husband organized a big blood drive and made it his birthday party. Family flew in again for the celebration and friends joined in to donate in her name. On that first drive, they collected about 40 units.
Devin will be four this October and his birthday will again be marked by their fourth blood drive. The annual blood drives have expanded and they advertise it in their neighborhood and Littleton newsletter. Even the pandemic didn’t stop the blood drive. A positive COVID test in the family put them into quarantine, but their friends still stepped up and donated! Some of them hadn’t donated for years but were so excited about Kaitlin and Ajay’s cause; they became yearly donors. She and her husband also donate when they can, between blood drives.
And now they have even more reason to celebrate. Three years ago, when they were thinking of trying in vitro again, Kaitlin discovered she was already pregnant and in July 2019, the family welcomed their second son, Ronan. Says Kaitlin, “I just can’t encourage people enough to donate because it helps so much and it’s such an easy thing to do. It saves lives. I am living proof.”
While the American Red Cross of Colorado does not collect blood, they provide blood to 11 hospitals in Colorado, including Denver Health, Swedish, and the University of Colorado Hospital. Nationally, the Red Cross collects, processes and distributes about 40 percent of our blood supply. The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood.
Besides being used for patients like Kaitlin, our blood supply must meet the needs of accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. If you don’t donate, consider becoming a donor. If you do, think about donating more often. We can donate whole blood every eight weeks and platelets every seven days, up to 24 weeks a year.
Donating blood makes a big difference in the lives of others. Learn more at RedCross.org.