Lorna’s Story

Lorna has lived in Edinburgh since 2008, when she came to the city to study law at the University of Edinburgh. Now 33 and working as a solicitor, Lorna lives in the outskirts of Edinburgh with her husband, their toddler, and rescue greyhound. During her pregnancy in 2022, Lorna experienced some major complications where she needed several blood and platelet transfusions. 

Lorna puts her experience very simply - if it had not been for the blood transfusions she received that day, she would not have survived. We encourage you to take a moment to read Lorna’s story and learn more about the impact the act of blood donation has had on not only Lorna’s life, but her whole family’s.

Lorna’s story

I experienced a few issues in the first trimester of my pregnancy, but thankfully these settled down around the 10-12 week mark. Although I struggled with anxiety in pregnancy, I was physically very well – apart from achy hips and some odd cravings, I couldn't have asked for a better second trimester.

When I was exactly 34 weeks pregnant, I experienced sudden abdominal pain and severe dizziness. I was working from home at the time, and remember falling to the floor and shouting for my husband. Fortunately he was also working from home that day, and drove us straight to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

The midwives and doctors ran various tests when I arrived at the hospital, and worked out that I was bleeding internally. The obstetrician could see blood in my abdomen when she did an ultrasound scan. Within a couple of hours of arriving at the hospital, I was rushed into theatre for an emergency c-section. Following the birth, various vascular and general surgeons identified the cause of the bleeding as a ruptured aneurysm in the artery leading to my spleen. They removed my spleen and managed to 'clip' the artery. 

During my surgery, I received six full units of blood and some additional platelets. I also received some of my own lost blood back through a process of "cell salvage".

A splenic arterial aneurysm is very rare and it was a close call for both me and my daughter. If I hadn't received donated blood products that day, the outcome would have been simple: I wouldn't have survived.

I'm very grateful that the midwives and obstetricians acted so quickly in taking me to theatre, which resulted in my daughter being born safely, and that the surgeons managed to identify the cause of the bleeding in time.

My daughter spent two weeks under the care of the neonatal ward, and is now doing brilliantly – this May she turned 18 months old, and is very funny and inquisitive. She loves books and watching the dog do her 'zoomies' in the garden. I was also in hospital for a fortnight - in ICU, then a high-dependency unit, and finally recovering on one of the general postnatal wards. The staff were very caring and compassionate to us both.

Lorna’s admiration for blood donors

I've always thought that giving blood is important, and particularly admired people who made the time to donate every 12/16 weeks. 

Having now received transfusions, to say that I'm grateful for those who take the time to donate blood is an understatement. Without blood transfusions, I wouldn't have met my daughter. I'm now ineligible to donate, but I feel very strongly that donating blood is a simple but very powerful act of altruism. Each time donors take the time to donate blood, they are improving, prolonging, or saving lives – it's remarkable that those eligible have a chance to do something so important in the space of half an hour.

My husband was also aware of the importance of blood transfusions but naturally never thought that blood donations would play a role in the birth of his child and saving his wife's life. He's very grateful for the donors and sometimes wonders who donated the blood.

It means everything to us that we've had the chance to be a family of three (four including the dog!) and we're very much aware that, alongside the surgeons, midwives, crash team, nurses, and anaesthetists, we owe a huge debt to the strangers who took the time to donate blood.

Lorna’s advice to first-time donors 

A loved one had previously received transfusions when I was a teenager, and it was important to me to donate blood. However, I was (and still am) squeamish and struggled to work up the courage to do so. A friend studying at the University of Edinburgh's Medical School encouraged me to donate when I was an undergraduate, and talked me through the worries that had stopped me from attending a donation centre despite the impact donations had had on my family. Unfortunately, my first donation was incomplete – I was too dehydrated! – but I managed to successfully donate a full pint on my next attempt, and gave blood occasionally up to my pregnancy.

I remember being nervous before giving blood for the first time, but each step was very clearly explained to me and I was very well looked after by the team at the Lauriston Place centre each time I gave blood. I always preferred to have a paper towel over my arm so that I didn't have to see the needle, which wasn't a problem at all. Remember to stay hydrated and have a decent meal beforehand, and it should go smoothly!

Despite my initial nerves, I didn't find donating blood to be an uncomfortable experience, but I do remember the nurses emphasising that blood donation isn't for everyone. There's no shame in not being able to give blood due to a phobia of blood or needles, for example. You can still support blood donation through raising awareness and encouraging friends and colleagues to contribute to blood drives.

We’d like to thank Lorna for sharing her story with us. Her experience is a powerful reminder of why blood donation is so important, as you never know the impact you could be having on someone’s life by giving blood. We encourage you to book your next (or first!) donation if you’re able to give blood through the link below.