SAN ANTONIO – St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital is hosting a blood drive on Friday to highlight how far a single donation can go, especially for the tiniest and most vulnerable patients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
For babies in the NICU, the need for blood is not only constant but also specialized. Their blood must be freshly drawn and more carefully processed to ensure it’s safe for their fragile systems.
The extra care means hospitals depend on a steady stream of donors willing to roll up their sleeves.
One of those babies is Sebastian. He was 41 weeks this past Tuesday and is now doing well. His family is hopeful they’ll be heading home soon.
However, Sebastian’s journey has included scary moments. Born micro-premature, he needed his first blood transfusion about a month after birth.
“We were worried he had an infection, so they were taking a lot of blood, and his body couldn’t replace what was being taken out, so he needed that blood to be replaced,” his mother, MaryAnn Bauer, recalled. “That donation is what helped him.”
Sebastian hasn’t needed another transfusion since, but Bauer said her gratitude for donors runs deep.
“You never think it’s going to go to these tiny ones, but it does,” she said. “I have met moms here whose babies have needed multiple [transfusions].”
Dr. Bradley Doles, a neonatologist at Baptist Health Hospital, says donations are critical.
“We need blood donations on a regular basis for our sickest babies,” he explained. “The most premature babies need multiple transfusions in the first month of their lives.”
It’s not just babies who benefit. Donated blood can be lifesaving for mothers experiencing postpartum hemorrhage or other complications during and after childbirth, which is why hospitals work to always keep blood readily available.
The blood drive on Friday will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can make an appointment to donate at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Bank, or check for mobile drives by clicking here.