On June 23, 2023, I was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in shock due to internal bleeding. No one really knew why, and it happened out of the blue as a very healthy and active 33-year-old person. My dad being a blood donor for the longest time, I always refused to donate blood due to being so scared of needles and thinking I would never need a transfusion as those things won't happen to me. That day, I lost nearly 4 units of blood. I had to start receiving transfusions the next day. Losing even more blood and with no answer, I was taken to the ICU and given plasma as well. I ended up at St. Michael's Hospital and got treated for a Meckle's diverticulum with a partial colectomy. I received 21 transfusions overall. I now advocate for people to donate blood, and so will I because 21 different donors decided to accept the discomfort of needles to save a life.
