Give for Texans – Ana & Zane’s Story

Blood donations are lifesaving for newborn on life support

The birth of a child can be one of the most joyous times in a young family’s lives, but it can also become one of the most traumatic.

Frisco mom Ana Cruz Hollingsworth shares how blood and platelet donors helped her newborn during the fight of his life:

“Our baby was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) since he was in my womb. When he was at 31 weeks of gestation, what should have been our last appointment for a sonogram became the beginning of a long and difficult journey. 

We had to educate ourselves on his condition, find the best specialists, and surround ourselves with a support system, consisting of family, friends and a lot of faith.

And even though we were prepared, we never imagined our baby Zane would end up connected to a life support machine – or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) – 24 hours after his delivery. 

Those 10 days were the most difficult days of my life, seeing our baby struggling to survive every single second of his life. So many emotions invaded my heart and mind. The anguish and fear wouldn’t allow me to process what was happening around me.

But I recall vividly being in that enormous and cold room, full of machines and alarms, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, with a nurse who wouldn’t move from my son’s bedside.

A specialized ECMO tech monitored each number on the screen, each button, each tube that transported blood to our son’s body and returned to the machine, which functioned as his lungs since his lungs had collapsed. 

I also remember the individuals wearing nursing scrubs, repeatedly entering Zane’s room with a small cooler. They spoke of units, blood, blood cells and platelets, among other terms I did not understand at the time. Constantly, that little cooler brought the blood my son needed to survive. 

My beautiful baby fought every second and wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the doctors with God-given talents that guided us step by step, for our family who was our rock, for God, and for those people – our anonymous heroes – who donated blood so my baby would have another opportunity to live.”

Blood donors save lives: Donate at a Carter BloodCare donor center or mobile blood drive near you. Help patients in need by calling 800-366-2834 today.

If you have ever received blood or platelets, your transfusion experience can save lives by motivating others to donate. Please Tell Us Your Story.