Woman reunited with EMS crew who saved her life with blood transfusion
On Thursday morning, an Orange County woman was reunited with the EMS crew who saved her life after a serious crash.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
At the end of march Orange County Fire Rescue announced the launch of its Pre-Hospital Whole Blood Program. This allows EMS crews to provide blood transfusions to trauma patients in the field before taking them to the hospital.
“You don’t always get to follow up or know the outcome, I’m glad this program was implemented, and you were able to make the decision to give me blood to help save my life,” McMinn said.
Lori is the first patient to be discharged from the hospital after receiving a whole blood transfusion from Orange County EMS at the scene of an incident.
Read: AdventHealth pushes responsible AI use in health care
The mother of six was on the way to grab dinner with her husband when they were involved in a serious crash.
“Took a little bit of time for us to get you out of the vehicle, because of the damage, you guys were entrapped in the vehicle,” Dyana Alexander, a Captain and Paramedic for OCFR, said.
In partnership with Orlando Health and OneBlood, OCFR is able to save lives like Lori’s with the Pre-Hospital Whole Blood Program.
The program has only been in use for one month and it is proving to save lives.
Read: UCF, Nemours announce official pediatrics partnership
“Blood donors played a huge role in helping give her a second chance at life and be here for her family,” Susan Forbes, OneBlood Senior VP of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, said.
Doctors said because Lori didn’t have to wait to get to the hospital to receive blood, it drastically increased the chances of her survival.
“If you are physically able to give blood, it truly does save lives,” McMinn said. “With having this new program implemented, it’s going to save more lives. If you can donate blood, please donate.”
Read: OneBlood asks for more donations during emergency shortage
You can make an appointment to donate at a OneBlood location by clicking here.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
