{"id":40158,"date":"2021-06-18T12:11:32","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T18:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=40158"},"modified":"2025-02-28T13:04:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T20:04:19","slug":"blood-donations-25-year-old-phlebotomist-goes-from-taking-blood-to-needing-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/blood-donations-25-year-old-phlebotomist-goes-from-taking-blood-to-needing-it\/","title":{"rendered":"25-year old phlebotomist goes from taking blood to needing it"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Audrey
Audrey Lopez with her cat, Calla, who Audrey sometimes walks in the yard as a way to help with her recovery of Guillain-Barre. Blood donations saved her life from the effects of the rare immune disorder. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Audrey Lopez\u2019s bicycle sits inside the front door of her apartment, a reminder of a different life she was living just weeks before. The rest of her house is filled with boxes. She\u2019s in the process of moving to a ground-level apartment with more \u2018accessibility,\u201d a rushed necessity for the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was ordering things on Amazon I never thought I\u2019d be ordering: a walker and shower bar, non-slip mats and canes,\u201d Lopez said.<\/p>\n

Despite her new handicaps, Lopez, a phlebotomist, is grateful she\u2019s alive \u2014 and she\u2019s grateful for the blood donors who made that possible.<\/p>\n

From taking blood to needing blood<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In April, Lopez was infected by the Epstein-Barr virus, one of the most common human viruses, which then lead to infectious mononucleosis, also called mono.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat lasted all of April and into May,\u201d said Lopez. \u201cIt gave me multiple complications and several severe diseases, but this one was the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday, May 21, 2021, Lopez woke up early in the morning and attempted to get out of bed, but she struggled to move her legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew immediately something was wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cI shuffled to the bathroom to figure out what was going on. I then got back into bed, laid there, I realized I couldn’t move my arms or turn my neck.”<\/p>\n

\"Audrey
Audrey Lopez talks about her experience with Guillain-Barre and the treatment, which was made possible through blood donations, at her apartment in Fort Collins, Colorado. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She had movement in her fingers, so she dialed her parents and then her boyfriend, who immediately arrived to take her to the emergency department at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital<\/a> in Fort Collins.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the (emergency department) they told me that I might have Guillain-Barre syndrome,\u201d Lopez said.<\/p>\n

\"Audrey
Audrey Lopez, with help from her cat, Calla, waters her plants at her Fort Collins, Colorado, apartment recently. Lopez was in the process of moving to a place that’s more accessible for her to get around with her cane. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guillain-Barre is a rare neurological disorder<\/a> where the body\u2019s immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy nerves located outside the brain and spinal cord. The first symptoms are weakness and tingling in the extremities, but it can spread quickly, paralyzing the whole body, and if it gets to the diaphragm, it can be deadly.<\/p>\n

Lopez was immediate admitted to the hospital\u2019s neurology unit.<\/p>\n

How blood donors saved her life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although Guillain-Barre cannot be cured, the first line of treatment is called immunoglobulin infusions (IVIg), which is derived from plasma from thousands of whole blood donors.

\u201cI always thought I knew how important blood donation was because I saw it through the lenses of a health care worker, through helping others. Now, seeing it through the lens of being helped, it feels so much more profound. \u2026 This is the one thing you can do that I promise will save lives.\u201d – Audrey Lopez<\/div>\n

Immunoglobulins are proteins that the immune system naturally makes to attack infecting organisms. The therapy injects these immunoglobulins, which can lessen the immune attack on the nervous system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why whole blood donors are just as important as plasma donors,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cEveryone together is part of a functioning whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lopez had a severe reaction to the treatment the next day. Doctors needed to try another option: plasmapheresis, a plasma exchange. A catheter was inserted into her neck, where some blood was removed and replaced by good plasma from blood donors in the hopes that the bad antibodies that had been damaging the nerves are also replaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI immediately turned a corner at that point,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Audrey
Audrey Lopez at her apartment two weeks after getting out of the hospital. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blood transfusion treatments<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even before she got five plasma transfusions over the course of a week, Lopez understood the importance of blood donors. As a phlebotomist at UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Donation Center<\/a>, it\u2019s her job to draw blood from donors. She loves what she does.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery donor has a different reason why they come in,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes they are donating because someone they loved had a blood transfusion, or themselves. They wanted to do something good, and donating blood is one of the most altruistic things you can do.\u201d

Donors are also needed at the Garth Englund Donation Centers in Fort Collins and Loveland. And UCHealth Garth Englund at Fort Collins is now open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.<\/em><\/p>\n

Garth Englund Blood Center- Fort Collins<\/strong>,1025 Pennock Place, Suite 105.<\/p>\n

Call 970.495.8965 to schedule an appointment or fill out this form<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Garth Englund Blood Center- Medical Center of the Rockies<\/strong>, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave.<\/p>\n

Call 970.624.1510 to schedule an appointment or fill out this form<\/a>.<\/div>\n

At the blood donation center, she monitors patients and gets to know them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all have stories and life outside of their donation. It\u2019s like making a million friends, and it’s my favorite part about the job. The second favorite part is the team \u2014 being part of a productive environment that’s making a difference.”<\/p>\n

Profound appreciation for blood donors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lopez is now on leave from her job to focus on her rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

She was released from the hospital about a week after being admitted, but before she left, she talked to her neurologist about the possibility of Guillain-Barre reoccurring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s less than 20%, but there is always a chance it will start all over again. It could start right away or in 30 years. I have to be realistic about things, like fatigue, weakness \u2014 I have to be cognitive of my strength,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After being home a week, she\u2019s able to get around the house without a cane, shuffling boxes out of her way with a stiff humpback-like posture. She still uses a cane when she goes outside, and once she gets the OK from her neurologist, she will begin outpatient rehabilitation therapy.<\/p>\n

She plans to return to her job at the blood donation center, though when that will happen is still uncertain.<\/p>\n

\"As
As a phlebotomist at UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Donation Center, it\u2019s Audrey Lopez’s job to draw blood from donors. She loves what she does, and the significance of blood donations became even more evident when Audrey needed a blood transfusion to save her life. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m stable enough,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t walk more than a few steps without getting tired and my hips hurting, and my arm is sore after using the cane. Luckily, that\u2019s all that\u2019s going on, and I\u2019m incredibly grateful I\u2019m where I\u2019m at. Learning to walk was a journey for me, and I won\u2019t take that for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to put my coworkers at risk because I\u2019m too excited to get back to the job I love,\u201d she continued. “I need to be able to carry my supplies, be steady with a needle, and be able to react to my donors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to focus on myself right now, but I\u2019ll show up (to work) as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when she does return, it will be with a much greater appreciation for her donors and a much stronger message.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a phlebotomist, we get into a rhythm and let people know that, \u2018Every pint of blood you give saves up to three lives.\u2019 It becomes a thing we say to our donors and it is the same for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now that I\u2019ve gone through it and someone\u2019s plasma saved my life, it\u2019s not just \u2018your blood will save three lives,\u2019 it\u2019s, \u2018your blood saved my life.\u2019 I\u2019ve seen it happen. I\u2019ve seen it in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought I knew how important blood donation was because I saw it through the lenses of a health care worker, through helping others. Now, seeing it through the lens of being helped, it feels so much more profound. \u2026 This is the one thing you can do that I promise will save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Audrey Lopez\u2019s bicycle sits inside the front door of her apartment, a reminder of a different life she was living just weeks before. The rest of her house is filled with boxes. She\u2019s in the process of moving to a ground-level apartment with more \u2018accessibility,\u201d a rushed necessity for the 25-year-old. \u201cI was ordering things […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":40164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[146,3305,895],"class_list":["post-40158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-blood-donation","tag-donating-blood","tag-garth-englund-blood-donation-center"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBlood donations: 25-year-old goes from taking blood to needing it - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As a health care worker, Audrey thought she knew the magnitude of blood donations. 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