For Zachary Houser, the car accident that nearly took his life almost two decades ago is nothing but a foggy blur in his mind, but his resolve since his recovery is crystal clear.

“Tomorrow is not promised, so live every day like you don’t know what's coming,” Zac said. “I cherish every day of my life now because I came so close to losing it. I appreciate life, and I like to help give life.”

On his way home from work on Dec. 3, 2009, Zac overcorrected his vehicle and slammed headfirst into a tree. The collision knocked Zac unconscious, and he suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe blood loss from the impact.

The fracture in the back of his skull and the blood loss was so bad that doctors initially approached his parents about next steps for organ donation. They didn’t think Zac was going to survive. 

Zac made it after a long and painful recovery that lasted more than a year. Zac, then 20 years old, was in peak physical shape because he was training to be a search-and-rescue swimmer in the U.S. Navy. He believes that’s a big reason why his body persevered through the traumatic impact.

But he also knows he wouldn’t be here today without blood donors.

Between the initial units he received from the trauma and the blood loss he suffered in the ensuing weeks from a superbug that got into his blood during recovery, Zac required a number of blood transfusions to survive.  

Since recovering, one of Zac’s missions is to give back. While he had to let go of his dream to serve in the Navy, Zac now works at Baptist Health Paducah in engineering and maintenance.

“I see beautiful things here every day, and I see tragic things here every day,” Zac said. “I see a lot of need for blood, and it helps me empathize with people here to know what they went through.”

Although Zac’s position doesn’t work directly with patients, he helps keep the hospital running, and he directly helps those in need by giving blood at the drives Baptist Health Paducah hosts with Kentucky Blood Center three times a year.

“Every time they come here, I hop up there and give,” Zac said. “It’s a very quick process. You don’t even feel the stick, it’s over in about 25, 30 minutes, and they feed you afterwards.”

Zac never misses a chance to donate, and he points out that it’s good for your body to regenerate new red blood cells that the blood donation process jumpstarts.

“Time and a little blood – that's all it costs you,” Zac said. “That's a small price to pay to save a life.”