Patient and Donor Stories

We love to hear from our patients and their families about how blood impacted their life, and from donors regarding why they donate the gift of life regularly.  Will you share your story? Please share your story with us today, to inspire others to give! Recipient Stories Audrey Watch the video to hear Audrey's story. Read More of Audrey's Story Expand Our daughter, Audrey, was diagnosed with HLH (hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) on November 12th, 2015, only 11 days after her first birthday. After A LOT of bloodwork, it was determined that Audrey had “primary” HLH meaning she had inherited the disease from me and my husband, Adam, and that there had been a “trigger” (virus, illness, etc.) that caused the HLH to suddenly begin attacking her little body. In other words, Audrey’s immune system had been sent into overdrive and was going to kill her if something wasn’t done quickly. We were told that Audrey would need chemotherapy, heavy steroids (plus lots of other medications), blood transfusions as well as a bone marrow transplant in order to survive. The news was absolutely devastating. Audrey followed the 8-week HLH protocol at our home clinic and hospital in Northern VA, but we knew that when it came time for the actual bone marrow transplant we wanted to be in Cincinnati with some of the best HLH doctors in the World. We received news on Christmas Eve that they had found a PERFECT bone marrow match for Audrey so, on January 4th, we packed our bags and relocated our family to the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Cincinnati. And, on February 25th, under the direct care of Dr. Michael Jordan, Audrey received her life-saving bone marrow transplant. Audrey spent 35-days inpatient at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, she was put on protective isolation for 103 days and on June 6th, 2016, Audrey was discharged and allowed to return to our home in Virginia.  Over the course of her treatment, Audrey received countless blood and blood component donations from generous donors which helped her heal tremendously.  Soon after Audrey was diagnosed, Team Audrey began evolving. This group consisted of amazing, kind-hearted friends, family and even strangers that helped us get through this terribly difficult time. Now that the tough times are (hopefully) behind us and we can look forward to the future, it is time to give back to the community and help other HLH patients and their families.  We work with Inova Blood Donor Services to host an Annual Team Audrey Blood Drive, to celebrate the anniversary of Audrey’s “re-birthday” – the date of her bone marrow transplant.  We will be forever grateful for the people who cared for us during our time of need but now it is time for us to be the ones to lend a helping hand. xoxo Jennifer, Adam and Audrey Bryan Sadie On October 8, 2009, on Sadie’s three-month birthday, doctors discovered a huge tumor in her neck. We were devastated to learn that it was a rare, solid cancer of the nerve tissue of the sympathetic nervous system called neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma represents 8 percent of all childhood cancers, but is responsible for over 15 percent of deaths. Our first plan of attack was surgery, scheduled for mid-November. Our friend, Amy, worked on securing designated blood donations so that Sadie would have a good supply on hand for her big surgery. Amy contacted her network of friends and in two days six people identified themselves as the preferred blood type and were willing to be screened for the CMV virus that can affect infants with an immune system that is not fully developed. Countless others donated, whatever their type, in the DC metro area and across the county in honor of Sadie. The surgery was deemed a huge success. The next phase of treatment was chemotherapy. After each round, she benefited from the generosity of anonymous blood donors, as she received numerous units of red blood cells and platelets. Whether it was a holiday or not, complete strangers provided these most wonderful gifts. Sadie is doing well today. We are no longer pursuing treatment but she is constantly monitored to make sure the cancer continues to abate. Please donate blood to provide a safe and adequate supply for Sadie and all of those who are treated for cancer. Thank you, Erin & Ethan (Sadie’s parents) A Letter from Daniel Dear, well... Everyone. My name is Daniel Shank-Rowe and I have Leukemia (cancer of the blood). I remember my first time getting blood. At first, it creeped me out seeing a bag of blood and knowing it would all go into me, but then I thought of how many people get pricked to get that blood I also realized that you did it for me and other kids with a lot worse stuff than me so then I whispered in my head, thank you. For me, you probably allowed me to go on a family vacation or even have enough blood to play for the week, but for the kid in the next hospital room you probably saved his life. I'm sorry I can't say this in person being a school night and all... but here it goes... THANK YOU! From me and every other kid still in that hospital. Thank you, for everything, and one last time, thank you. Thank you for helping. Daniel Shank-Rowe Donor Stories Charles Steve Gordon Jared Are you our next donor success story? Schedule an appointment today! Donate Now