Thank you from Vicki

I have been a blood donor since I was a young adult and used to give around three times a year. I was always happy to give as it has always felt right to give back, and never knowing who I helped made it even more rewarding.

In August 2016 I was feeling quite ill and went to my GP who did a swab test and decided to put me on antibiotics because she suspected that I had pneumonia and possibly also the flu. I was told to come back in three days if I still felt ill. Three days later I was almost unable to walk and my husband helped me to the doctor’s office. My GP took one look at me and said she was admitting me to the hospital. About an hour after I arrived they came in with blood test results and told me I had pneumonia, influenza A, and leukemia. It was something that I never saw coming. My blood count was so low I was asked to sign a form and they gave me three units of blood that day. A couple of days later I needed three more units. Two weeks after that shocking news, I started chemotherapy. Before the second round I needed three more units of whole blood. I have been through 6 months of chemo and I am now in remission, however my immune system is not back in line yet and so I have been receiving IVIg (Intravenous Immunoglobulin) every four weeks, I am scheduled to continue the monthly IVIg for another year. It has made all the difference in my life. I was ready to give up after the chemo and I was still so very sick but two months after starting the IVIg I began feeling like there was more to live for.

I’m feeling great now and I am so very thankful to all the people that have helped me, the hospital team at Haematology, the staff in the infusion room, my GP team and staff at my local doctors office, and the “strangers” that have given blood so that I can have more time with my family and friends. Thank you each and every one of you.

With all my heart thanks,
Vicki Willard