Caroline's story

Kia Ora

On the 30th of August 2017, I was lucky enough to receive 2 bags of red cells after the birth of my rainbow baby Jasmine on the 29th of August 2017. Although I birthed safely, the placenta retained and the umbilical cord broke so I was unable to birth the placenta naturally. I was transferred to Christchurch Women’s hospital and had the placenta manually removed. It was unclear how much blood was lost but as the day progressed, the lovely midwife was concerned about my constant heart rate of 100+bpm. The following day, the 30th, the team obtained a CBC (complete blood count) sample with the result of my hemoglobin was 67. Receiving blood was astonishing, I cannot thank the donors enough for their voluntary service, and I tell them that every day I’m on the donor floor. I have proudly worked for the New Zealand Blood Service for almost 6 years as a donor technician and as I had only stopped work 1 week prior to giving birth, there’s a strong possibility I collected the blood from the donors who saved me, making my job extra special and of vital importance. Thank you NZBS!

Nga mihi nui,
Caroline (Caz) Kemp