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Baby Joseph Verdi
Baby Joseph Verdi, more affectionately known as Little Joe,
was born almost three months prematurely. Due on or around August 4th, Little
Joe entered the world on April 15th. Weighing only one pound, seven ounces,
he was what doctors call an "immature premature infant." At the time of Little
Joe's birth, he was given only a 20 percent chance at survival, and doctors
predicted he would die within 24 to 48 hours.
Little Joe's lungs were not fully developed, there was blood
on his brain, and he was prone to infections. From day one, he began receiving
blood products; both whole blood and platelets, type O negative and O positive,
CMV negative.
The baby regularly used oxygen to help him breathe, and
received whole blood and platelets almost daily. Thanks to the generosity
of blood donors, Little Joe is getting stronger every day.
Update: Little Joe went home to his parents in August.
His grandmother is happy to report that he is doing well. The Verdi family
extends their gratitude to all those who gave blood for their little baby.
Blood donations truly made the difference in Little Joe's
life! Platelet donor Tina Mancuso says, "The last few times I donated,
I was instructed to tell the phlebotomists that my platelets were going to "Baby
Joe." At the time, I didn't know who he was or what was wrong with him, but
I was happy to help. Then I discovered the story of the little guy...it made
me so glad to help in some small way. It's nice to be able to really see
that those hours my husband and I spend in the donation center every few
weeks really make a difference to someone.
About pediatric donations:
Low birth weight babies need many small transfusions
to treat anemia. One pediatric unit can be used for several days at a time.
Blood of donors who have donated several times and have
type O positive or O negative will be drawn in special blood bags to be
used for pediatric transfusions. |
