‘I would not be here if it wasn’t for those donors’: Blood donations needed for mothers

COLORADO (KDVR) — Vitalant is partnering with women’s advocates and hospitals for the fifth year for Donate for Moms, a project to support women who experience complications during birth. During the project, 40 blood drive locations will be open across the state to support it.

Robin Sicilia, who now lives in Castle Rock, grew up around blood donations since her father ran the local blood center in the town she lived in as a child.

“I didn’t know this side of it and never thought that I would be a part of that,” she said.

In fact, 20 years ago, she recalled giving birth to her second child. She was a week overdue and was sent to the hospital to be induced, but the medication was not working.

“My baby got stuck,” she said. “They had said I would have to have a C-section, but it happened so fast that they couldn’t.”

In her foggy state, Sicilia remembered the confusion and chaos that ensued.

“My doctor was swearing, the other doctor was swearing, the nurses looked terrified. I didn’t really know what was going on,” she said.

The next thing she remembered was waking up, learning she was given 100 stitches, and she had lost 40 percent of her blood volume.

“I remember her saying if there was anyone I needed to call, I should make those calls,” Sicilia said. “I didn’t know if I was saying goodbye, I didn’t know if I was warning my family.”

She called her dad, who told her it was going to be okay, and shortly after she was given multiple transfusions.

“[I] watched her hook up the bag and that continued for several days,” she said. “And then I took home a very healthy baby boy.”

Sicilia said she still looks back on those moments with awe and gratitude.

“To have the opportunity to be a mom and to still be there for my kids means the world to me, so there’s not a day that I don’t think about that experience,” she said.

Then, it was later when she learned something like this happening is more common than she thought. In fact, one in 83 moms will need a blood transfusion after pregnancy.

“It’s very common across the US for moms to go into, you know, pregnancy not knowing that they may need a blood transfusion,” said Brooke Way, communications manager for Vitalant.

While it can often lead to fear and uncertainty during pregnancy, it also means many do not realize how important blood and blood donors can be.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for … all of the people that donate blood every single day that change lives and save lives,” Sicilia said.

Especially with summer around the corner, Vitalant highlighted the importance of donating.

“[Summer is] one of the lowest blood donation times for us because people are traveling, they’re out of school,” Way said. “There’s a lot more accidents on the roads. We need blood for those reasons. And so the need for blood doesn’t stop.”