{"id":7541,"date":"2026-06-14T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T09:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/?p=7541"},"modified":"2026-06-12T13:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:01:35","slug":"well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019ll be forever grateful\u2019: Family thank blood donors who saved their baby\u2019s life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column]<p class=\"c-content__lead\">\n    Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has one of the country&#8217;s highest demand for NEO blood transfusions. Vital blood donations and specialist care from Saint Mary\u2019s Hospital saved one family\u2019s newborn baby at just 8-hours-old.\n<\/p>\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2023, Caroline, her husband Dave and their three-year-old son Ethan were excited to welcome another addition to their family. But during pregnancy, Caroline tested positive for Covid-19 which led to serious complications and meant her unborn baby needed life-saving blood transfusion.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Caroline was transferred from Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, to the Fetal Medicine Unit at Saint Mary\u2019s Hospital for specialist care and monitoring. At 30 weeks pregnant,\u00a0Caroline\u00a0underwent an in-utero blood transfusion, where Grace was sedated in the womb while blood was transfused through the umbilical cord.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7543 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/20230330_225010-rotated-e1781268587533-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Baby in NICU.\" width=\"281\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/20230330_225010-rotated-e1781268587533-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/20230330_225010-rotated-e1781268587533-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/20230330_225010-rotated-e1781268587533-60x80.jpg 60w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/20230330_225010-rotated-e1781268587533-680x907.jpg 680w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/20230330_225010-rotated-e1781268587533.jpg 1134w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 281px) 100vw, 281px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dave said: \u201cThis was a terrifying experience being so helpless as both a husband, but also for Caroline as a mother because there is no part you can play in this procedure to help your baby, you are reliant on the skills and experience of the consultant performing the procedure. Fortunately, we had an incredible consultant in Dr. Emma Shawkat who was able to position the needle in the exact place in the umbilical cord, guided only by the ultrasound\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The procedure was a\u00a0success\u00a0and blood was transferred into the uterus, but just two weeks later the procedure had to be replicated.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Caroline said: \u201cThankfully we were in the safe hands of Emma and her team. The second procedure went well, initially, and all the monitoring was good but later in the evening I could tell something was wrong and through the monitoring of our baby\u2019s heart rate the readings were irregular\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cFortunately, I was staying at St Marys Hospital as a precaution that night, after the in-utero blood transfusion, but the medical staff said\u00a0they\u00a0needed to perform a Category\u00a01 emergency c-section and Grace was born very quickly; 8-weeks premature.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Grace was put straight into an incubator on Saint Mary\u2019s neonatal ward, as she was severely jaundice. \u201cSeeing your daughter so small and fragile in an incubator is very upsetting\u201d said Dave, \u201cCaroline and I had no physical contact for the first 5 days due to the severity of her jaundice.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Shortly after birth, Susan Kamupira, Consultant Neonatologist at Saint Mary\u2019s Hospital, advised Caroline and Dave that Grace would need a full blood exchange &#8211; and at less than eight-hours-old Susan and her team commenced the procedure which took five and half painstaking hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Caroline said; \u201cSusan was our angel that day and with her skill, care and professionalism the procedure was a success. To this day we are still in touch with Susan and will be eternally grateful for her saving our daughter\u2019s life\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Newborn babies can only be transfused with blood that lacks the cytomegalovirus, a mild and very common virus,\u00a0similar to\u00a0the virus that causes cold sores or chickenpox, this blood is labelled CMV-negative.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fAround 200,000 of England&#8217;s donors have the blood needed by poorly newborns, the NHS has revealed as it urges more people to give blood to help seriously ill children and adults.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1 in 4 of the nation&#8217;s 800,000 blood donors had their most recent donation labelled with a blue &#8216;NEO&#8217; tag which means it is suitable for transfusion to babies in neonatal units.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Grace continued to receive\u00a0continuous\u00a0care at Saint Marys Hospital in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for three weeks. Caroline said: \u201cThe care was outstanding. The fact that Grace always had one or two NICU Nurses constantly monitoring and caring for her showed how severe and important it was for her to be monitored. I couldn\u2019t hold her myself until she was five days old.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIt was also\u00a0really hard\u00a0having our son at home throughout all of this. Ethan couldn\u2019t wait to be a big brother, but we didn\u2019t want to take him to see Grace when she was so poorly and with so many tubes coming from the incubator. As a mother I felt helpless leaving him at such a young age and not being able to help my daughter, it was an incredibly difficult time\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dave said: \u201cOur families supported and helped over this period with Ethan, and my time was split between being with Caroline and Grace and being there for our son.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Once Grace could be cared for at a level 2 NICU, she was transferred back to the NICU at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, through Connect North West &#8211; the specialist Neonatal Transport Team for the North West of England and Wales \u2013 and she continued her care closer to home but she spent 7 out of the first 8 weeks of her life there.\u202f\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Grace has had a weakened immunity system since birth culminating in her having a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and grommets inserted into both her ears last April, to try and limit her infections. Still under the care of the Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital, and working with Dr John Molloy, Consultant Paediatric Immunologist, Grace is now producing antibodies, and her immune system is working as it should be.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-7542 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1-268x300.jpg\" alt=\"Selfie of a family of four.\" width=\"310\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1-268x300.jpg 268w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1-914x1024.jpg 914w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1-768x861.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1-60x67.jpg 60w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1-680x762.jpg 680w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-Family-1.jpg 1117w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dave said: \u201cGrace is now three years old, she\u2019s a happy, funny, sassy little girl who is loving life and her big brother. Ethan adores her too which is so lovely to see. Looking at her\u00a0now\u00a0you would have no idea that she went through all of this. We are so proud of her.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Caroline and Dave are very thankful to the many colleagues who supported little Grace into the world, they speak fondly of the skill, professionalism and care they received from all the consultants and teams at the various departments and hospitals Grace was care for by. \u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Caroline said: \u201cWe are also acutely aware that Grace benefitted from someone taking the time to donate blood. We will never know who that person is but will be eternally grateful and if someone is reading this who has previously donated blood it may have been you and from all our family, and especially Grace, thank you!\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cNobody wants a loved one to need a blood transfusion, but we never know when the need may arise. We should never take for granted that the blood you need will be there, and we all have a part to play and that is by giving blood to ensure that it is there for our loved ones, should they ever need it.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Susan Kamupira, Consultant Neonatologist, said: \u201cAt Saint Mary\u2019s Hospital, we are proud to offer highly specialist care for women, families and neonatal babies. Blood transfusions are a life-saving procedure but because our babies are vulnerable, we can only use CMV-negative\u00a0blood\u00a0and we rely on all our blood donors. Every donation has the power to save lives and give babies like Grace the best chance\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Every week hospitals in England order around 500 units of red cells suitable for neonatal patients, which is around 0.5 percent of overall red cell demand. Red cells\u00a0is\u00a0the blood component most widely used to treat newborns.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alder Hey Children&#8217;s Hospital in Liverpool, London\u2019s Great Ormond Street Hospital and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust had the highest demand for blood for newborns in 2025. 1 in 5 units was issued to one of these hospitals.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This World Blood Donor Day 2026 people are being urged to donate blood and help save the lives babies like Grace. One donation can help up to 6 babies or 3 adults.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/campaigns\/world-blood-donor-day\/2026\">World Blood Donor Day website<\/a> for more information.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]In 2023, Caroline, her husband Dave and their three-year-old son Ethan were excited to welcome another addition to their family. But during pregnancy, Caroline tested positive for Covid-19 which led to serious complications and meant her unborn baby needed life-saving blood transfusion.\u00a0 Caroline was transferred from Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, to the Fetal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":7544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[189,5,187],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mft-news","category-news","category-saint-marys-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018We\u2019ll be forever grateful\u2019: Family thank blood donors who saved their baby\u2019s life - Saint Mary&#039;s Hospital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018We\u2019ll be forever grateful\u2019: Family thank blood donors who saved their baby\u2019s life - Saint Mary&#039;s Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]In 2023, Caroline, her husband Dave and their three-year-old son Ethan were excited to welcome another addition to their family. But during pregnancy, Caroline tested positive for Covid-19 which led to serious complications and meant her unborn baby needed life-saving blood transfusion.\u00a0 Caroline was transferred from Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, to the Fetal [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saint Mary&#039;s Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-14T09:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1091\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1023\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"aileenloftus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"aileenloftus\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"aileenloftus\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/#\/schema\/person\/be57b3d36c218e92b0c45ed79fcc35f1\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018We\u2019ll be forever grateful\u2019: Family thank blood donors who saved their baby\u2019s life\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-14T09:00:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/\"},\"wordCount\":1292,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/Grace-2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"MFT News\",\"News\",\"Saint Mary's Hospital\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/well-be-forever-grateful-family-thank-blood-donors-who-saved-their-babys-life\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018We\u2019ll be forever grateful\u2019: Family thank blood donors who saved their baby\u2019s life - 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