Meet the Incredibly Strong 5-Year-Old Whose Life was Saved by 40 Blood and Platelet Transfusions
Community encouraged to give blood in honor of this little hero
HILLSBORO, OR (November 19th) — The community is invited to donate blood in honor of Emmi Bradley at a special American Red Cross blood drive November 21, 2024, from 9:30am to 2:30pm at Hidden Creek Community Center. Emmi and her mother, Stephanie, will be present and willing to talk to the media at the drive from 9:30am to 12pm.
Emmi Bradley was only three years old when she was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia – a rare disease in which the bone marrow does not produce an adequate number of new blood cells.
She was reliant on blood and platelet transfusions until September of 2023 when she got a match and had a bone marrow transplant.
Her mother, Stephanie Bradley, recalls, “She was surviving on blood and platelet donations for an entire year of her life. From her initial appointment on May 12th, she spent 72 nights in the hospital, had 37 appointments that weren’t part of overnight stays, and 17 anesthesia procedures”.
After going through the many long and tough days at the hospital, Stephanie says that blood and platelet donations, “saved our daughters life so if you can, you should donate. And it’s not a one-time thing, Emmi had 40 transfusions and that was just one person".
B-ROLLL & PHOTOS OF EMMI: here.
READ MORE ABOUT HER STORY: here.
Donating blood is one of the simplest things a person can do to help celebrate a person’s life. For the hour it takes to give blood, there could be a whole community of people thankful for another birthday given to a loved one.
To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass® online health history questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.