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COLORADO, USA — Vitalant, a blood donation center, said the ongoing blood shortage, mixed with the upcoming holiday season, is a tough combination.
A Denver couple invites their whole family to donate every year, specifically on Nov. 4th. They hope to give back to strangers, the way strangers gave to them when they needed it most on Nov. 4, 2017. Dani Tyler said she would have died without the generosity of a blood donation when giving birth to her first son, Corbin. Each year, they celebrate Corbin’s birthday, and what they call their “survivor-versary.”
Corbin Tyler gives his birthday two thumbs up. The day started at a party with his friends.
“Smacked a piñata and ate some cupcakes,” said Corbin’s mom, Dani Tyler.
The party continued at Vitalant.
Dani Tyler has been giving blood with her mom since she was 18.
“I always gave, thinking one day I’d be on the receiving end and I’ll need that, but I never thought, of course, for childbirth,” said Tyler.
Tyler said it was a pretty healthy pregnancy all the way through, until Corbin was born.
“They cut his umbilical cord and took him away and called Code White,” Tyler said.
A first-time mom, she tried to reach for her newborn son, but couldn’t.
“And I thought I may never hold my son,” Tyler said.
Dani was rolled into emergency surgery.
“My placenta had grown through into my uterus and wouldn’t detach,” Tyler said. “They took me to the ER to operate and take my uterus, and I also lost all the blood in my body, so by the end of it when I woke up, none of the blood in my body was my own anymore.”
She needed 10 units of blood and six units of blood products.
“I would not be here if there wasn’t blood for me that night, I wouldn’t be here, there’s no way, he wouldn’t have a mom,” Tyler said.
Now Corbin, Dani, and her husband, Sean, come back to Vitalant every year on Nov. 4 to give the gift of blood that gave Dani the gift of life.
“Survivor-versaries, yes,” Tyler said.
Dani encourages everyone to roll up their sleeve.
“You can see how quick and easy it was,” Tyler said.
Brooke Way, the Vitalant communications manager, said on top of an ongoing blood shortage, giving is especially important ahead of the holidays.
“Which is the hardest time for blood donation because people are celebrating the holidays, they’re travelling with their families,” Way said.
“It definitely could be you on the receiving end,” Tyler said. “You don’t know who it could help, it might not be you or your husband or child.”
“With that one blood donation you have the potential to save three lives right there,” Way said. “We need blood ready to go on the shelves at all times, not just in times of trauma.”
The Tylers have plenty of memories to make as they run through life together, full speed ahead.
“I have a beautiful life, I really can’t thank people enough for those six years and so many more,” Tyler said.
More reporting by Lauren Scafidi:
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