Connie Buell is a living miracle. In June, she was on her way to volunteer at the Resurrection House when she was seriously injured in a car accident that resulted in her suffering multiple broken bones, a concussion and blood filling her lungs. She had to have her lungs drained of the blood and as a result of her injuries, needed two blood transfusions. For about a week she was pretty much incoherent. Doctors told her husband Earl on that first day that they didn’t think she was going to survive. Connie spent about three weeks in the hospital, months rehabilitating at home, and now is doing much better. She credits blood donations for saving her life.

“These blood donations saved my life. I wouldn’t be here without it. I am so thankful,” Connie says. Earl starts shedding a tear at this mention. “It’s so important to donate. It really hits home when your wife needs blood.”

Connie and Earl have also been on the giving end. They started donating blood about thirty years ago in Cincinnati. They moved to Sarasota fifteen years ago and kept up their charitable act. While they can’t donate now, Earl does volunteer his time with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, primarily running errands and especially taking blood units from the blood bank’s lab to the various hospital floors and emergency room. For this couple, the connection with blood is in their blood. One is a recipient. One is a life giver. Together, they understand what it means to give and receive.

We all try to take care of ourselves – eat right, get enough rest and keep stress to a minimum. When we don’t, we often suffer the price by getting a cold or just feeling rundown. But, when you have Sickle Cell Anemia the pressures of everyday life can have dramatic repercussions. Sharon Folta knows this all too well having spent a week in the hospital just after Christmas, receiving plasma aphaeresis to treat her latest episode of Sickle Cell. “This was my first crisis in 10 years. I’ve been very fortunate and have strived to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” says Sharon. “I had a number of episodes when I was 40 and received transfusions when I had crisis in the past. This recent plasma exchange was a first for me.”

Sharon’s passions are her grandchildren and cooking gourmet meals for lucky friends, family and occasional clients. She divides her life between Sarasota and New York with plans to move here full-time and launch a catering business.

“I am so grateful to those who donate blood,” says Sharon. “You are making a tremendous contribution to those of us who literally are helpless without you.”

Gia Rossi-Masters knows firsthand the importance of a blood donation. Her son Chase was born a ‘micro preemie’ at 22 weeks, 6 days gestation. Doctors gave Chase 72 hours to live. Among his many problems was that his tiny body could not produce red blood cells. After 137 days in a neonatal unit and daily transfusions of specially screened blood Chase became stable.

“I never realized how important it is to have the Blood Bank fully stocked at all times,” Gia said. “My son would have died without Suncoast Communities Blood Bank, their terrific staff and donors.”

Today Chase is a happy and healthy 3 ½ year old, Gia is in nursing school and together they’ve raised over $45,000 in support of Suncoast Communities Blood Bank.

Meet Malik Yousseff. He’s a typical, energetic, and full of life preschooler. He loves to watch movies like Milo and Otis and Babe and to color and play. But life wasn’t so sure for him when he was born. In fact, he was struggling to make it through each day.

Malik was born with a rare condition called Thrombocytopenia which means that he developed an antibody against his mother’s platelets. Malik required multiple transfusions, sometimes more than one a day, every day for about four weeks. In all, Malik received platelets from over 20 different donors.

His grandmother, Missy Dorr, explained that every transfusion that he received was from an unknown donor. “I’m thankful everyday for every single person who goes to the Blood Bank and donates and has no idea where it’s going. They don’t realize the impact. It was a whole community that saved my grandson’s life,” said Ms. Dorr.

Tell us your story.
Has your life been affected by a blood donation?
Contact Julie Platt jplatt@scbb.org or 941.954.1600 ext. 1024