Petty Officer Cassandra Duncan always said her blood type ‘B-Positive’ is inspirational, but she was never sure if she could be a donor.
Major complications following a routine surgery in 2015 resulted in massive haemorrhaging, and she was placed into an induced coma.
“The pain was worse than childbirth, so I was yelling at the doctors to knock me out for as long as possible,” mother of two Petty Officer Duncan said.
She was placed on life support and because her condition was so unstable, her family got the call to come and say their goodbyes.
But after an emergency transfer to the ICU at St George hospital, Petty Officer Duncan received a full blood transfusion of six units of packed red blood cells and four units of fresh frozen plasma to keep her alive.
Recovery from the ordeal took about three months.
“The blood they give you doesn’t have everything that your own blood has, so it took a few months before I had my energy again,” Petty Officer Duncan said.
“I was really scared at the time.
I had run the city to surf non-stop that year. After not eating for a few days in ICU, I looked like death warmed up.”
Petty Officer Duncan didn’t realise how bad her condition was until the original surgeon visited and was left visibly shaken. While she didn’t remember the transfer or transfusion, she remembered waking up in intensive care.
“I kind of stirred and woke up and had a tube down my throat and my nose, and the nurse was like ‘go back to sleep, it’s alright’. I had no idea I was in a different hospital,” Petty Officer Duncan said.
Her experience left a lasting impression, so much so she postponed a procedure in 2020 by six months to allow her to mentally prepare for it.
On September 6, Petty Officer Duncan was cleared to donate blood for the first time, something she wanted to do to express gratitude to the donors who saved her life and make a difference in someone else’s.
She also registered as a Lifeblood Team Champion for team ‘Navy FSU’ and encourages colleagues to donate.
One in three Australians will require a blood transfusion in their lifetime, but only one in 30 donate. Donating blood can also have other health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the chance of heart attacks.
“It is also a beautiful reminder of the interconnectedness of humanity and how we all have the power to help each other,” Petty Officer Duncan said.
“My advice is not to hesitate, the gratification of giving outweighs any fears.”
