Blood Donation Gives the Gift of Life to Local Family

To Leslie Johnson, volunteering for LifeStream blood bank is the chance of a lifetime. The Rancho Cucamonga resident is proud to have worn the uniform of her country, having spent eight years as an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force. Deployed a month after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Leslie feels a strong sense of duty, and a genuine respect for those who make a difference. Little did she know that service toward others would one day be directed toward her, and in the most profound of ways. In winter 2007, Leslie and her husband Charles, whom she met while in the military, joyfully awaited the arrival of their first child. Denver was the snowy locale where the happy couple full of excitement and anticipation as Avery Grace prepared to be welcomed into the world. But at birth, something went terribly wrong. Avery was fine. Her mother was not. Unable to hear or move, and surrounded by masked strangers, Leslie remembers relying on her faith for strength while desperately seeking out Charles. He was there, but had yielded ground so medical experts could do their work. They locked eyes as he stood in the corner of the room, fear and confusion spreading across his face. “I will never forget that look,” Leslie said. She was severely hemorrhaging, her life in imminent danger. There was one hope left – blood transfusions – and seconds counted. “They asked my permission,” Leslie said. “I nodded ‘yes’ with my eyelids.” Later, she was told “you lost all the blood your body holds.” She had received eight whole-blood transfusions and five platelet transfusions. And, she was alive – thanks to complete strangers who had voluntarily given blood days before Avery’s birth. “To this day, I am overcome with a profound sense of awe and gratitude to those who give blood,” she said. Leslie recently became a nationally certified and State of California licensed (what else?) phlebotomist, and shares her uplifting, dramatic message with LifeStream blood donors as a member of LifeStream’s volunteer team. “The least I can do is thank each and every donor who walks through those doors for saving a life. For saving my life!” she said. What is her message to potential blood donors? “Know that just a few minutes of your time may mean years to someone else. Never could you give a more precious, valuable gift – the gift of life.”