SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio mother is hoping sharing her story will encourage others to be blood donors and give the gift of life this holiday season.
Ashley Byrnes suffered from a blood clot and hemorrhaging two weeks after giving birth to her son. She ended up needing 19 bags of blood and four bags of plasma during an emergency surgery.
She knows that each of those bags represents a person who donated.
“You’re saving someone’s life or you’re helping someone that needs blood for different illness that they’re overcoming,” Byrnes said. “But either way, all in all, you are saving a life and you can leave it feeling good about yourself that you did something great in the day and in the world to help someone else.”
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center said they especially need donors over the holidays when donations typically decrease. One reason for the decrease is due to high school and college students being on break. That population makes up 30% of all donations.
While donations are down, the need for blood has increased. This year, the hospital blood orders are up as much as 20%. Donations often make a difference between life and death.
Due to the amount of blood she received, Byrnes cannot donate blood, so instead, she shares her story as a blood donor advocate. She hopes her story will inspire others to roll up their sleeves.
STBTC has several donor rooms throughout San Antonio. For a link to make an appointment click here.
