Meet Olivia Woodruff

Olivia Woodruff is a young, beautiful and optimistic woman.  Looking at her, one would never know the battle she has been fighting for nearly three years. In July 2007, just two months after the birth of her second daughter, Olivia started experiencing double vision, eyelid drooping, difficulty talking and swallowing. She had always been healthy, but when this terrifying ordeal unfolded, she found herself in the intensive care unit of Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

 

Doctors diagnosed and removed a tumor on her thymus gland. They also diagnosed myasthenia gravis (MG). MG is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by atrophy of the muscles and is caused by an abnormal immune system. There is no known cure for MG, but there are special blood therapies that can help reduce symptoms. Being diagnosed with MG changed Olivia’s life dramatically.

 

Olivia was given medications and underwent outpatient plasma exchange treatments. During each plasma exchange, Olivia’s plasma was removed and replaced with purified donor plasma. In total, Olivia received 33 plasma exchange treatments and 99 liters of albumin.  “I cannot imagine how many blood donors helped save my life. I wish I could tell them how important their donations were. They are my saviors,” remarks Olivia.

 
“I can’t thank blood donors enough,” says Olivia. “They gave me back a normal life and the ability to care for my two little girls. I know I may go into crisis at some time down the road, and I may need more treatments. It’s comforting to know that Suncoast Communities Blood Bank and the blood donors will be there for me.”

Meet Sarah Knoll

Sarah's life as a student at Sarasota Lutheran School was very different from what it is today. Before being diagnosed with Crohn's disease she was President of the Student Council, coached volleyball and was a self-declared "over achiever." The diagnosis came at age 15 just as she was beginning her sophomore year at Sarasota Military Academy (SMA). A year that she would complete at home through the Hospital Homebound Program – too ill to leave the house.

Early after the diagnosis Sarah was hospitalized and received three blood transfusions. She is very honest about her initial terror – "oh my god, some strangers blood is going into me." She is equally candid about the next thought that went through her mind."I actually welled up with tears," recalls Sarah. "I realized that someone out there who I would never meet was actually saving my life." The benefit of the transfusion was immediate. “I was so weak that I couldn’t even lift my arms. After the transfusions I couldn’t believe how good I felt," recalls Sarah.

Meet Dana Kulbersh

Dana Kulbersh is a happy, intelligent and well-spoken teen who has a heart for helping others, especially cancer patients. She knows all too well what it’s like to be in their shoes. She’s been there, too.

Her story of survival began when she was four years old. The Kulbersh family was enjoying a day at a theme park when the bubbly little girl complained of not feeling well. Her legs hurt and she had a low grade fever. Thinking that Dana had a virus, her family took her to the doctor. Over the course of the next month Dana underwent multiple diagnoses to determine the exact cause of her illness. The diagnosis was something that no parent ever wants to hear – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Dana went through nearly three years of chemotherapy, frequent stays at All Children’s Hospital, and required a blood transfusion. Luckily for Dana the cancer was caught early and this form is a highly treatable type of leukemia.

“I’ll be grateful to that blood donor for the rest of my life,” says Dana.

Dana, now cancer free, volunteers a majority of her time for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, supporting the cause to fight cancer and encouraging others through their life altering ordeal. “Surviving cancer made me who I am today,” says Dana. “It was a life changing experience for me. We all have the ability to positively impact others – one simple way is to donate blood.”

Three year old Abby Duplissey's eyes sparkle with excitement when she talks about her favorite activities:

dancing, playing and drinking milk. Her happy demeanor exudes life. One cannot help but to smile while around her, especially her family.

While still in her mother’s womb, doctors diagnosed Abby with a life threatening heart condition. Her mother, Kimberly, was told that Abby probably would not live past her first breath and if she did survive, she would be physically deformed. Abby defied the challenges against her.

At six days old, Abby underwent surgery to close three holes in her heart and widen and untangle the aortic arch from wrapping around her vocal cords. During the procedure, she required a blood transfusion.

“Abby’s open heart surgery wouldn’t have been possible without someone’s blood donation,” Kimberly says. “Blood is the liquid gold. You don’t realize how precious it is until you or someone you know needs it.”

All smiles...

Julie and Jackson Ennis are all smiles these days, both enjoying life.

Jual 40 week gestation period. Weighing less than 2 pounds, Jackson was immediately placed on a ventilator and began receiving blood transfusions because he had a brain hemorrhage. Without the transfusions Jackson would not have survived his first month.
lie’s son, Jackson, was born at 24 weeks and five days at Sarasota Memorial Hospital—considerably shy of the norm
“I gave my son his life,” says Julie. “But you saved it.” The Ennis family, including husband Matthew, welcomed Jackson home after a 92 days in the hospital. Today, Jackson continues to thrive, thanks to blood donations.

Life in the fast lane takes a different turn for Harry?

A New Jersey transplant that enjoys the Florida lifestyle, Harry Chororos considers it normal to live life in the fast lane. But in 2001, an unexpected medical diagnosis brought him to a standstill. Never one to get sick, he developed an impacted molar that bled profusely, sending him in search of medical help. Doctors ran a myriad of tests to determine the cause of bleeding. Tests revealed the root of the problem--Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), a very rare form of leukemia that typically strikes middle-aged men. Harry was given only days to live. Without Harry’s knowing it, the blood cancer had actually been in his body less than a month, and he was losing time.
Unprepared for the diagnosis, Harry didn’t take a chance. Doctors immediately started him on a cocktail of chemotherapy treatments and transfusions. Over the course of the next two weeks he received six platelet transfusions and eight whole blood transfusions. Now, seven years later, he’s mostly recovered.                                         As a long-time blood donor, he never imagined he would be on the receiving end. “Until receiving transfusions, I didn’t really grasp the full understanding of just how vital blood is to life. I remember lying in the hospital bed and not even having enough strength to change a channel on the TV remote control,” says Harry. “Those blood transfusions were my energy source. Until you have a blood cancer, you take blood for granted.”