Blood Recipient Stories
Chase 
During his medical treatments, Chase received more units of blood products than his parents could count to survive the ECMO machine and surgery. Thanks to the generosity of volunteer blood donors in Omaha and greater Nebraska, Chase and Children’s Hospital had the blood they needed—even when the unexpected happened. More...
Amber
Amber Gralheer, a mother and soldier, experienced severe bleeding after giving birth to her twins. More...
Heather
“They didn’t just give me units of blood, they gave me my life. I owe them everything that I have and everything that I am, because their donation is priceless. They saved a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a pediatric nurse.” More...
Merri Kaye
When Merri Kaye Bradley was airlifted to Bryan Trauma Center after a head-on collision at 60 mph, doctors said she had less than a 7 percent chance of survival. More...
Megan
“I’m thankful I didn’t have to wait for blood to be available because I don’t know if my body could have waited.” Thanks to local blood donors, Megan received blood transfusions at a crucial moment—helping her stay strong and eventually recover. More...
Lolo
Lolo was a happy and active 10 year old when she was diagnosed with pediatric Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML) on December 12, 2012.
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Dale
Dale Johnson—radio host, family man and blood recipient—needed more than 20 units of blood after a motorcycle accident changed his life forever. More...
Emily
Sometimes believing is all you can do, especially when you spend all of your life fighting to stay alive. That's the mantra Emily Koesters and her family live by. More...
Keith
Sgt. Keith Knoop had been a top athlete in his Army reservist unit until Sept. 30, 2009. An explosion from a roadside bomb penetrated his armored truck as he drove through southern Iraq, nearly killing him. More...
Dan
As laboratory manager at Jefferson Community Health & Life in Fairbury, Dan Reikofski sees the need for blood regularly. But in June 2016, after experiencing excessive tiredness and dizzy spells, he found himself in need of blood. More...
Kendall
Within minutes of Kendall’s birth, she was blue in the face. “That was our first indication that something was wrong,” said her mother Kelly. More...
Sheri
Sheri Wentz was just 31 years old when she became what she calls “an answered prayer.” More...
Jennifer
When breast cancer fighter Jennifer Klein showed up for another round of chemotherapy, she was instead instructed to go to Bryan Health immediately for a blood transfusion. More...
Kipton
To family and friends, 5-year-old Kipton Krumland is a gem. Today, you would never know that as a baby he relied on the life-saving donations of blood and platelet donors to fight (and beat) leukemia. More...
Kim
Kim Short is a positive, upbeat 11-year-old girl, with a contagious smile. At just a glance, you’d never know that behind her optimist personality is also an immense amount of strength and courage. More...
James and Cole
Erik and Heather Younger welcomed their twin boys into the world nearly three months prematurely. Cole weighed just 1.6 pounds and James 2.25 pounds. More...
Etta and Lane
Born at just over 25 week’s gestation, twins Etta and Lane each weighed only 1 pound 10 ounces. Due to their premature birth and small size they had very low blood volume and were unable to produce red blood cells fast enough to keep up with the demand of frequent blood draws for tests. More...
Owen
Overjoyed by the arrival of their son, new parents, Megan and Troy, were in great spirits and excited about their family’s future. “Owen was perfect and completely healthy, or at least that’s what we thought,” says Megan. More...
Tom
Tom and Elaine Hansen are extremely thankful for generous Nebraska Community Blood Bank blood donors. Because of them, Tom and Elaine will celebrate Valentine's Day happy, healthy and together! More...
Leyna
“Taking the time to donate blood is truly giving the gift of life to children, like Leyna, who are battling childhood cancer. Without your life-saving donation, our little princess would not be here today and, for that, we cannot thank you enough!” – Karri Shiers-Ahlschwede More...
Teresa
“I would like the African-American community to become blood donors so we can keep those struggling with sickle cell disease alive and healthy.” —Ternesha Burroughs, mother of Teresa More...
Lydia
Lydia started first grade in fall 2017. She is smart, caring, and a proud big sister. But life hasn’t been easy for Lydia and her parents, Tony and Kristen Moser, because her story began in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). More...