Often, when people are asked to donate blood, they decline, saying, "Well, if I ever need it then I will give." People don't realize that if you need blood, you usually need it right away.
Christine Douglass believed in donating blood for the opposite reason, "I thought it was important to help others, and I also always wondered what if I ever need it?"
Christine's question was answered on April 7, 2005. On her way home from Oakcrest Elementary School in Marion County, Florida, during a windy, rainy Thursday afternoon, Christine found herself directly in the path of a powerful tornado.
As the winds grew stronger, the sky turned green, and Christine pulled over to the side of the road thinking it would be safer. A tree came crashing down on her truck, pinning her legs. She managed to reach her cell phone and called for help. Emergency workers recognized the seriousness of her injuries, and she was airlifted to Shands at UF in Gainesville, Florida, the Level I Trauma Unit that serves Marion County and is supplied by LifeSouth.
Chris spent her first two weeks in the hospital in an induced coma and only learned much later that her pelvis had been fractured in several places. Eventually, she lost her spleen. She underwent several surgeries. In one week, she received more than 150 units of blood.
Unbeknownst to Chris, while she was in a coma, her community was coming to her aid. Her coworkers organized a blood drive and, to raise money, a barbecue. Donors came into LifeSouth's Marion Region to give for Chris and more than 200 people donated at 13 special blood drives held for her.
Today, Chris's describes herself as "excellent." She has one surgery left to complete and is still undergoing physical therapy. She returned to work in September.
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