The birth of a child is typically a joy filled event. Unfortunately for Michelle, that feeling didn’t last long.

On August 17, 1992, Michelle rushed to the hospital excited to welcome her first child into the world. Those emotions soon became ones of panic when she realized her son, Dustin, was in serious trouble. After some routine blood tests, doctors discovered the newborn had a low platelet count and needed an immediate blood transfusion.

“Following the transfusion, we were told that they would keep watching his platelet count,” Michelle explained. “A medical condition like this hadn’t been seen in Lincoln, so we were terrified that our son was going to die. Everyone just kept telling us to let the doctors worry about that.”

Dustin survived, and just two days after his transfusion he was sent home. However, the happy homecoming did not last long.

“We had just gotten home from this ordeal when we found a message on our answering machine saying we needed to go to Methodist Children’s Hospital in Omaha right away,” Michelle continued. “Once we got there, it didn’t take long to determine the cause of his low platelets and come to a solution.”

Dustin was diagnosed with a condition called alloimmune thrombocytopenia. This was the result of an antibody he received from his mother while in the womb. The antibody was destroying Dustin’s platelets faster than he could produce them. Thankfully, the solution was simple.

“I needed to donate my platelets to give to my son,” Michelle commented. “Within an hour, I was donating. It was my first donation experience of any kind.”  Luckily, Dustin only needed one platelet donation from his mother to rid himself of the antibody.

Today, Dustin is 19 and serving in the United States Air Force. Michelle has continued to donate regularly as a way to show appreciation to the volunteer blood donor who saved her son’s life.

“It was the blood transfusion Dustin received from a donor the day after he was born that most likely prevented a hemorrhage and saved his life,” Michelle concluded. “In the end, a complete stranger saved my son. I would like to say thank you, but how can you say thanks for something like that? All I can do is donate too!”