Grossman was doing what so many other donors at Kentucky Blood Center do: paying it forward. Grossman, a professor at UK, has been a donor for more than 40 years and given more than five gallons of blood at KBC.
Grossman routinely gives because he understands the need. One in four people will require a blood transfusion in their lifetime, and the only way to ensure they have the lifesaving products they need is for people like him to give a little bit of their time and ultimately a little bit of themselves.
“I donate because it is such a tiny thing to do – so little effort – and yet it can have such an outsized impact,” Grossman said.
Remilien is one of many Kentuckians who have benefited from the pre-hospital transfusion. As of Oct. 1 – 16 months since the partnership began – 102 units of whole blood were transfused on the way to the hospital in Fayette, Jessamine, Madison and Scott counties.
Approximately half of the 102 transfusions were given to a patient with a low trauma score, meaning a higher severity of injury and a greater likelihood of mortality. All the patients who received pre-hospital transfusions had improved vital signs after transmission, 98% survived to hospital admission and 91% survived to hospital discharge.
The EMS partnership is just one piece of the lifesaving mission Kentucky Blood Center and its donors embark on every day. Blood is used for a wide range of treatments, including traumas, diseases, surgeries, organ transplants, cancer, blood disorders, childbirth and more.
Remilien wasn’t in-tune with blood donation prior to his harrowing experience, but he hopes his story is an example of its importance.
“I encourage everyone to get out and make a difference,” Remilien said. “Don’t think about yourself all the time. Be able to make a difference.”
