A promise made is a promise kept

Sonia Prasad says she’d only ever donated blood “here and there” while she was young. She says she did it “primarily for the biscuits,” never thinking she’d do it for an entirely differently reason one day.

In July 2010, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Micah Gabriella. Micah was special from day one as she was born a warrior fighting a number of illnesses including Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy– one of the most common types of brain damage caused by oxygen loss.

Sonia recalls sitting in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, dazed by the array of machines attached to her baby’s tiny body, trying to keep her alive.

“I remember one day one of the nurses said they were waiting on an urgent courier of ‘plasma’ for my little girl,” says Sonia. “Intrigued, I asked her what that was and remember her telling me plasma is the ‘liquid gold’ in our blood. I immediately put out my own arm and told her to take mine, as much as she needed. But the nurse simply smiled and said, ‘Sorry hon, it’s not a quick process’.”

Sonia made a promise to her daughter then and there – to become a plasma donor once they’d both got out of the NICU. Sadly, Micah never made it home. Sonia, though, has kept true to her word and now donates plasma regularly, in loving memory of her baby girl.

“Seven years later, I’m a full-time worker and mum of three. While my days are full-on, I’m never too busy to keep my promise.”

“When I donate I get some time to myself where I can read a book, clear my emails or simply relax. The staff are always kind and welcoming, and where else do you get offered free tea and biscuits?”

Donating plasma can take anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour, but the feeling of having done a good deed is always rewarding – as Sonia can attest. After all, a promise made is a promise kept.

#ForMicah #SharingForLives

To book an appointment to become a blood donor call 0800 GIVE BLOOD.