B.C. family makes plea for blood donors to help sick toddler
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2019 00:39:58 +0000
A Ladner family is making a plea for more blood donors to help their four-year-old boy, who needs ongoing blood transfusions.
“Donating blood truly is a selfless gift,” said Robyn Yatchuk, whose son Khoen was born with a hereditary blood disorder.
“If you don’t know someone who needs blood you don’t make that connection, it’s hard to understand that there is a little boy who needs it, and because of a complete stranger is able to walk around.”
Khoen was just three weeks old when he had his first blood transfusion, and to date has had seven transfusions.
The Yatchuk’s oldest son was born with hereditary spherocytosis, a disease that causes his immune system to destroy his red blood cells.
Khoen’s father Dan Yatchuk, who also has the blood disorder though a less severe case than Khoen, had his spleen removed and no longer requires blood transfusions. When Khoen is older, maybe eight or nine, he might have the same procedure after a risk assessment, but until then he will require blood transfusions.
“My husband is really healthy so we didn’t think it would be a problem, and then everything got turned upside down. The first transfusion was the hardest because he was so little,” Robyn Yatchuk said. “The idea of him not being able to survive without support was so difficult.”
On Christmas Day last year, he was showing signs of critical hemolysis and required a blood transfusion on Boxing Day.
As a baby it was very difficult to know when he was getting sick, but now that Khoen is four he can communicate how he is feeling. His mother said he is starting to become aware that he is different and wonders why his little brother doesn’t have to get transfusions.
“He gets very upset about getting tested all the time, getting pokes, and he is very nervous about it. So every time he has to get checked he gets anxiety and nightmares,” she said. “We try to normalize it for him and he is aware that other kids have to go through this and that there are people who donate their blood to help him.”
The Canadian Blood Services says ore than 3,000 donors in B.C. are needed to help fill open appointments by Jan. 5, 2020.
The need becomes more pressing over the holidays because blood platelets needed for cancer patients or a blood disorder have a short expiry of seven days.
The agency said statutory holidays curtail collection hours so “every blood donation counts” during the season.
The agency says people who are unable to donate blood but want to help can donate money or their time, and encourage others in their community to become donors.
To donate blood call 1-888-236-6283 or visit blood.ca. Walk-in appointments are also available at all locations.