You don't realize how important blood donation is until you or a member of your family becomes ill. Many people who have received blood tell others this, and they know it's true. It's even more heartbreaking and devastating when it's a child. Here's one such testimony...
Little JT had become a survivor since the day he was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia, and he had also become a fighter. However, it took time for us to accept that this was actually happening to him.
After his first hospital discharge, me and his dad thought it was just a mere hospital visit and nothing else and that the next blood report would be normal, but we were wrong. We had to gather all the courage we could to fight this life-threatening disease.
We almost lost him when he had internal bleeding and was on an invasive ventilator. I still remember the day when the doctors called us urgently and told us that he had vomited blood in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).
We rushed there, and the team of doctors who were waiting for us appeared stunned. Me and my husband could read their eyes: they were thinking, who will start the conversation with the parents.
They explained to us that our baby had internal bleeding and was now on a ventilator. It appeared to us that they had lost hope, and when they told us visit our child in PICU, we were very worried, as no visitors were allowed in PICU.
What we saw there was our two-year-old JT with two tubes in his mouth: one was a tube for the internal bleeding and other was a tube connected to a ventilator. His hands were tied to the bed and there was so much more, that I cannot bear to think of it again.
One question I am asked repeatedly since JT had this problem is “How did you do it? You are very strong.”
Trust me; I am as fragile as any other mom. But when I looked at him and saw that he was not giving up, then how could I? We had no other choice… we had to fight back! Practically, when we go for a fight we need weapons, an army, and a plan of attack.
My weapon was my faith in God, because through him no weapon used against me would prevail.
My army were those who loved him and prayed for him every single day and all those angels who donated blood through Bloodline calling.
And our plan was having the presence of a wonderful oncologist who we followed with our complete trust.
My heart is filled with gratitude, because as a family, we know that you have all prayed for him and also reached out to Bloodline and donated blood for him.
I want to shout out to all of you that donated. Because of your efforts, baby JT never had to wait for blood transfusions at this very delicate time when these transfusions were vital for his survival.
God had made a road for us lined up with so many angels, and first in the line was Bloodline, who made sure that he didn’t collapse again before the actual transplant process started.
All your prayers and efforts came true, and after 51 days of hospitalization, baby JT was finally home.
In the coming two months, he was prone to infections, and he needed to be closely observed. I stayed with baby JT almost three months in hospitals. I have seen how kids had to wait for blood products and sometimes, the parameters are so low that I have seen mothers crying in the corners of the hospitals.
I ask you all: please donate blood at your convenience so that no child should have to suffer from the lack of blood and no mother should have to cry because of the shortage. I have been there, and I have been blessed. Please continue to help those other mothers too.
Bloodline was very proud to be a part of Baby TJ's team, a team that included doctors, nurses, family and friends, and the Bloodliners who showed up to donate their blood and platelets.
Bloodline is sharing this testimony because they hope that more and more people can be inspired and donate, overcoming fear, mistrust, misinformation and cultural barriers.
One of the most important things we can do is to let those children know they are not alone. They have the right to consider their future. They represent our future.
China has the largest child population (ages 0–19 years), accounting for 13% of all children in the world. And cancer is a leading cause of death among children in China.
According to the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on cancer, 27,170 children ages 0–14 years and 9,481 adolescents ages 15–19 years were diagnosed with cancer in China in 2020, and 10,553 children and 3,574 adolescents died from cancer.
The five-year prevalent cancer cases among children ages 0–14 years and adolescents ages 15–19 years in China were 92,388 and 27,640, respectively, in 2020, accounting for 14% of the prevalent childhood cancer cases worldwide.
Similar to Western countries, the most common cancer types among Chinese children and adolescents are leukemia, brain (central nervous system – CNS), lymphoma, kidney, and liver cancer.
During chemotherapy, surgery, or treatment for complications, children with cancer may require blood products on a regular basis.
Low red blood cell and platelet counts can occur as a result of cancer and cancer treatments.
Some types of chemotherapy can harm bone marrow, reducing red blood cell and platelet production. Cancers that attack the bone marrow include leukemia and lymphoma.
Transfusions of blood and platelets can provide patients with the critical treatments they require to fight and survive cancer. Donations of blood and platelets are required to ensure that blood products are available for pediatric cancer patients.
May 20 Blood Donation Drive
On May 20, Bloodline, with the blessing of Shanghai Blood Center and in partnership with the Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Minhang District Blood Management Service Center, and Shanghai People’s Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries, is organizing a blood donation drive dedicated to children with blood cancer and blood disorders.
Bloodline encourages eligible donors to give blood or platelets to support kids and teens battling cancer and other blood disorder diseases. "We can be the miracle for such children. Our blood has the power to change the lives of some of those children of the Children's Hospital of Fudan University."
Scan the QR Code to join the crew and be superheroes for those children in need.
Bloodline will also make true some dreams of children of the Children's Hospital of Fudan University, randomly selected by the hospital itself. Stay tuned. They will also share these stories with you.
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