Mother is grateful for blood donors who saved her life, now urges others to give
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WARREN, N.H. (WMUR) — There are a lot of memorable milestones in Joanna Suprock’s life. The mother from Warren said donating blood is on that list, even during the pandemic.
“I became a two-gallon donor in August of this year and that’s a pretty big accomplishment for me because that’s exactly the amount of blood that I needed,” Suprock said.
Suprock can be the mother of two she is today because of the transfusions she received after the birth of her second son Edgar two years ago.
“I got to meet him. I got to hold him for a brief time. My husband took our picture and then they had to deal with me,” Suprock said.
Moments after holding her newborn, Suprock was rushed into surgery due to complications with her placenta. She was losing massive amounts of blood and needed donated platelets, plasma and 16 units of blood.
“I wouldn’t be here if that blood wasn’t available. That’s twice my blood volume, so that’s an extreme amount of blood. So, I’m really lucky to be here,” Suprock said.
She said she is grateful there was not a blood shortage at the moment she needed it.
Suprock, who was a blood donor long before her own medical emergency, is urging others to give.
Her husband Chris rolled up his sleeve and her friends organized a blood drive to celebrate her life and the gift of blood that saved it.
She shares her story hoping it inspires others to make an appointment and hold out a lifesaving arm.
“Anytime I donate blood, I have a picture taken of myself and I post it on Facebook, social media just so other people know, hey, I’m making the time and effort to do this and you can, too,” Suprock said. “You’ll just walk away feeling really good. I always feel great after I donate.”
This time of year, the American Red Cross urges people to step up and donate blood, and this year, even more people are needed to answer the call because of the pandemic.
“It’s really one of the best things you can do right now during the pandemic, if you really want to help people. It’s literally giving a piece of yourself. You’re donating a piece of yourself to help someone else and that’s one of the biggest things you can do,” Suprock said.
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