No human body has the capacity for 27 pints of blood but while giving birth, the incredible story of Elizabeth emphasises that blood and functional blood bank are compulsory in our hospitals if we must reduce maternal and newborn mortality.
Elizabeth (Right), Avoku, her son (Middle) and Onaseremi, her daughter (Left)It’s been a whileIt was going to be another beautiful day for Elizabeth. She was supposed to wake up to the brightness of the sky but she started squeezing her face because she was fatigued. She felt a bit sick and dizzy. She was trying to figure out what was wrong when she remembered that her period was a few weeks late. If a woman has missed her period, then after some time, if she starts having morning sickness and other various feelings, she might just expect the doctor to tell her that she is pregnant.But it’s been a while since Elizabeth stopped having babies. She already had all the children she wanted i.e. 5. At that time, the last thing she expected was another pregnancy. Her condition could have been signs of menopause, but the doctor told Elizabeth that she was pregnant, at age 42!That happened in October 2007. By the 9th month of her pregnancy, which was July 2008, Elizabeth went for antenatal care, as usual.Realising that she could be at higher risk during this pregnancy because of her age, she attended all the required antenatal care appointments. Even though attending antenatal care was her ritual in all her previous pregnancies, she said “I attended antenatal care at two different hospitals; one on Tuesdays and the other one on Thursdays” to be double sure of her safety and the safety of her unborn baby.During her last antenatal care visit, the doctor noticed something unusual about the pregnancy, so he referred her for an ultrasound scan. The scan revealed that Elizabeth had placenta previa type 4.Placenta Previa is a condition where the placenta lies low in the womb partially or completely covering the cervix, preventing the passage for the baby. This condition is more common in women who have more than one child, a cesarean birth, twins or triplets.Placenta previa does not have a known cause but some predisposing factors can be getting pregnant when above the age of 35, as in Elizabeth’s case, having had more than four pregnancies (she had 5 children already) and having a history of uterine surgery.Elizabeth was admitted immediately and was scheduled for a cesarean section delivery.What’s the point in many pints of blood?In preparation for the cesarean section, Elizabeth was asked to buy 4 pints of blood. Expectant mothers are usually asked to buy a whole lot of birthing items prior to the delivery of their babies. These items, which nowadays come in what is called a birth kit or mama kit, could be so expensive for some pregnant women. Some of them end up not using all the items. Elizabeth thought that she would not need up to 4 pints of blood so she just bought 2.The cesarean section was successful as she was delivered of a baby boy.Some time after the delivery, Elizabeth developed a complication called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy (DIC).DIC is a condition in which blood clots form throughout the body’s small blood vessels. These blood clots can reduce or block blood flow through the blood vessels, which can damage body organs. In DIC, the increased clotting uses up platelets and clotting factors (proteins) in the blood. This leads to a reduction in clotting factors. When there are not enough clotting factors in the blood, severe bleeding is most likely to occur.Elizabeth kept losing blood until her Packed Cell Volume (PCV) was as low as 8%. In a bid to salvage the critical situation, the doctors had to remove her womb (uterus). Yet, the situation didn’t get any better despite the blood transfusions she had received.As time went on, her body wasn’t responding to the blood gotten from the blood bank, what she needed then was fresh frozen plasma which has all the clotting factors in it.The point in many pints of bloodMr. Ogidan, Elizabeth’s husband, her daughter, Onaseremi, and two doctors donated blood but this did little to help the situation. Elizabeth’s doctor, Lawal Ishaq, had to go to a nearby school of midwifery where Onaseremi happened to be a student, to pleaded with other students to donate blood to save Elizabeth’s life. More than 30 students came out to donate blood. In all, 27 pints of blood were transfused from more than 30 that were collected from those who were fit to donate.Elizabeth, now 48, is alive to tell her story because of the selfless act of blood donation she received from family and strangers. Her son, Avoku, is now 6 years old, hale and hearty.More blood donors still needed!Because of this life-changing incident that happened 6 years ago, today, Elizabeth keeps telling everyone about showing love through voluntary blood donation. Being a Christian, she said that religion did not matter, as her doctor, who was the first to donate blood to save her life, was a Muslim.For Elizabeth, talking is not enough, so she started an NGO she calls Association of Voluntary Blood Donors in Abuja, where she organises advocacy activities for voluntary blood donation.She said “My story is an inspiration to many other people who have pledged to donate blood. Even on my son’s birthday, 2 people asked for where they could donate blood after listening to my story.”If there’s any act or opportunity to save a life, voluntary blood donation might be the simplest. So, stand up now, donate blood and save a life.Story contributors: Dr. Tunde Segun | Edited by Dr. Tunde Segun