Six-year-old Madison Kirk overcame heart disease with the help of blood donors.Six-year-old Madison Kirk overcame heart disease with the help of blood donors.

Giving blood a chance to make a difference, says mother of recipient

To Natalie Smith, turning negatives into positives is quite literally a lifesaving necessity. As she says: “I would have had no way of keeping my daughter alive if it weren’t for Canadian Blood Services and the kindness of people.”

Smith’s daughter Madison Kirk was born with congenital heart disease. At the age of three months, she received her first blood transfusion and other blood products while undergoing an operation to install a shunt. By eight months, she weighed 13 pounds. The open heart surgery she required left her on life support. During her subsequent four-and-a-half-month stay in hospital, she received more than 40 blood transfusions and needed platelets and plasma.

“Every time I see a bag of blood, I wonder who made that donation,” says Smith. “Without all of those bags of blood and all the people getting it to the patients, I would have no hope. It doesn’t matter how smart Madison’s doctor is, it doesn’t matter how fancy the hospital equipment is. They can’t fabricate blood.”

Now six years old, Madison loves pretending to shop and drive to run errands. She adores singing and dancing. And like any child her age, she loves to go to the park.

Blood donors helped to make that happen, and faculty, staff and students will have a chance to contribute Tuesday, November 18, as the Canadian Blood Service will hold a full blood donor clinic in the Ambassador Auditorium, CAW Student Centre, from 1 to 4 p.m.

For this clinic, the Canadian Blood Service will use its appointment system. It encourages donors to book appointments by calling 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283). Walk-in donors are still welcome but appointments will better accommodate donors' working schedules.

As with previous clinics, the Department of Human Resources encourages all eligible employees to participate in this worthwhile process and asks any employees who wish to donate to make the necessary arrangements with their supervisors regarding the possibility of extended lunch or break periods.