Mum-of-three Lucy Tanner required a lifesaving blood transfusion after complications during an emergency C-section.
The 33-year-old was rushed to hospital after a low-lying placenta caused her to have a severe bleed at home, 36 weeks into the pregnancy.
To perform the operation, surgeons had no choice but to cut into the placenta, which caused massive haemorrhaging.
Lucy, from Sawston, Cambs, said: “I had six pints of blood, so that’s six donors. If those people hadn’t chosen to give blood, I wouldn’t be here for my children.
“What happened to me is quite common. I’m so grateful to the donors.”
Husband Sam Tanner, who was in theatre with Lucy, said: “I remember doctors activating the ‘major haemorrhage protocol’. My heart sank.”
But Tallulah was born safely on August 15, 2019 and is now a healthy and happy two-year-old.
She joined older siblings, Spencer, now eight, and Fletcher, five. Sam, 36, added: “If people hadn’t given up their time to donate, that blood wouldn’t have been there when we desperately needed it.
“The day after the birth while Lucy was resting and Tallulah was being looked after in intensive care, I felt compelled to get myself to the blood donor centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, sleep deprived and full of emotions.”
The NHS is short of 75,000 regular donors and stocks are now supplied by the smallest pool in the 21st century, as demand is back at pre-pandemic levels.
As hospitals catch up on routine care, we are facing a critical crossroads to meet the rise in demand for blood and are appealing for new donors to step forward and join this amazing group of lifesaving people.
