Each year, almost 5 million Americans need blood. Some receive blood during surgery, while others depend on it after an accident of some kind. In any case, blood donations save lives every day.
Longview resident Charlotte Jordan, the donor recruitment consultant for Carter BloodCare/Stewart Center in Longview, knows that all too well — and not just because it's her job.
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Charlotte Jordan, 41, sits with her daughter Mackenzie, 16
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HER DAUGHTER
Growing into womanhood can be a tough time for teenage girls, and Charlotte's 15-year-old daughter knows how hard that time can be. In April, Mackenzie was well into her fifth week of her menstrual cycle when she went to her mom with complaints of headaches and dizziness.
"When you're a teen your cycle's anything but normal," said Charlotte, 41. "At first we thought the dizziness was a result of her spending long hours outside during her school softball games, but the loss of color in her complexion told us she needed to be examined."
At the appointment, Charlotte learned that Mackenzie's hemoglobin count was severely low. While a healthy person her size should have a count around 12, Mackenzie's was 4.8.
She was diagnosed with Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB), a disorder that is common in female adolescents. It's usually just a case of a slightly longer cycle, but occasionally it's severe enough to require hospitalization, as in Mackenzie's case.
"The doctor told us to go straight to the emergency room. Mackenzie needed to be transfused," Charlotte said. "He said if her count had gotten any lower, there was a chance she'd go into shock."
HITTING HOME
That evening, Charlotte stayed at the hospital with her daughter. As Mackenzie received red blood cell units to boost her hemoglobin, along with a hormone?to help stop the bleeding,
Charlotte watched in amazement as her daughter's color returned to her complexion.
"I had no idea the length of time it took to transfuse someone," Charlotte said. "Over the course of several hours, I watched as color returned to Mackenzie's lips and cheeks. I hadn't realized it, but the loss of blood had even caused her nail beds to have a white, pale look to them."
The next morning, Mackenzie's hemoglobin had jumped to 6.9. She was released from the hospital and sent home with both iron and hormone therapy. At her follow-up appointment two weeks later, Charlotte was happy to learn that her daughter's count was at 10.3.
"For as long as I've been in the blood banking business, I never considered that someone in my family would need to go through something like this," she said. "I had never been on the other side of what I do, and it just really hit home to me. The experience was bittersweet."
DONATION IS KEY
Mackenzie continues healing through iron therapy and a healthy diet, while now more than ever Charlotte encourages people to donate blood.
"This is just one of thousands of examples of the need for blood daily," Charlotte said. "What if this had been your daughter? What if one of your loved ones needed a transfusion?"
She believes the public in general has a big misconception of just how vital donations are to the community.
"After 9/11, people were lined up around the corner of the blood center's building to donate, and people really rallied together in that sad time of need. We were so grateful for that," Charlotte said. "But people need to realize ... we're in a constant need for blood donors — not just during a national emergency. Donations save lives daily."
