Blood and platelet donors save 6-month-old girl who required 20 transfusions
Twenty transfusions.
One hundred and seventy-seven days in the hospital.
And only 24 weeks old.
Her premature introduction into the world in August 2021 was an uphill battle for little Enola Grace.
During her six-month stay in a Dallas neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Enola received several blood transfusions to save her young life, recalled mother Ashley Sneed.
“I needed blood, too, but it wasn’t critical enough and the blood banks were low,” said the Royce City mom. “Everyone asked us what they could do to help and we kept telling them we needed blood and prayers.”
Both were needed in abundance even after release from the NICU: Before her first birthday, Enola underwent eight surgeries.
“Blood was needed each time, in addition to all the times her platelets were low,” Ashley said. “They treated her with blood during those emergencies as well.”
And local donors did save her daughter’s life.
“I remember seeing the donor blood hooked up to Enola the first time and that it came from Carter BloodCare,” Ashley said. “Being a longtime Carter BloodCare donor, it was like we had come full circle. There was something comforting about that.”
It motivated Ashley and her family to pay it forward to help local patients in urgent need of transfusions.
“We went to the closest Carter BloodCare location and donated that same week,” she said.
Since then, the Sneeds launched a “Blood for Babies” mobile blood drive in DeSoto. They also continue hosting blood drives in Greenville, which they have done consistently since 2019, two years before their daughter’s birth.
Donate at a nearby Carter BloodCare donor center or mobile blood drive to help local patients, like Enola and Ashley.
And, if you’ve ever received blood or platelets, your experience can motivate others to donate. Please Tell Us Your Story today.