BY DIONNE MEEHAN
CHURCHILL woman Mary Bradley is urging more people to consider giving blood after she received more than 100 life-saving transfusions last year.
At the end of 2021 Mary (51) began suffering with intense abdominal pains.
Following a visit to her doctor she was referred for a number of colonoscopies.
Failing to complete the colonoscopies each time, Mary continued to be sent home being told they would “try again”.
Eventually in February 2022, Mary was referred for an urgent appointment at Letterkenny University Hospital for a CT scan where they discovered she had two benign tumours completely blocking off her bowel.
However, Mary didn’t know they were benign until after surgery.
Already suffering from an autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s Syndrome, Mary contracted sepsis after the operation.
Speaking to the Donegal News, Mary said she has no memory of anything as she was put in a coma once she contracted sepsis.
“I went through a pretty big operation. I was in theatre most of the day and I was taken back in the next day for further surgery.
“They didn’t think I would survive the operation but I did,” she said.
When Mary came out of a coma she was completely paralysed and had to undergo rehabilitation in St. Conal’s Hospital where she had to learn how to walk again.
“I couldn’t feel my fingers, I couldn’t feel my toes and I couldn’t move my body. I couldn’t do anything. I could hardly talk. I was under speech therapy and everything.
“I just lost the ability for everything and there were days I thought I would have been better not to survive but thanks to their help, they brought back everything,” she said.
In total, Mary spent six months in hospital.
“I needed over 100 blood transfusions in the six months I was in hospital because they think the autoimmune disease triggered a reaction in the blood.
“I had to get a lot of platelet transfusions, white blood cell transfusions and iron transfusions,” she said.
Mary also needed kidney dialysis for a couple of months as she suffered from kidney failure, lung failure and liver failure when she was in ICU.
“Thankfully I am off the dialysis machine which they never thought would happen, I am off it a couple of months.
“Letterkenny hospital, who liaised with Galway and Dublin hospital, came up with a plan on how to save me.
“There were drugs sent up from labs in Dublin and blood sent up on a regular basis, twice a day even.
“There were transfusions going in left, right and centre since the day after the operation,” she said.
Mary also commended the work of Professor Ken Mulpeter who took care of her during her last three months in hospital.
Now that Mary is keeping well, she is urging more to consider donating blood.
“Every blood transfusion saves a life.
“If I hadn’t of got the blood transfusions I wouldn’t be here to tell this story.
“People have this perception that giving blood hurts, that you are really exhausted after it but it’s not true.
“There is a lot of misconceptions out there about blood transfusions that can be all cleared by ringing Irish Blood Transfusion where they will give you all the information you need,” she said.
During the pandemic, a significant number of blood donors were lost.
The Irish Blood Transfusion is now looking for new donors as the demand for blood from our hospitals remain very high.
Anybody interested in giving blood should visit https://www.giveblood.ie/become-a-donor/ to check their eligibility before coming to a clinic or alternatively, call to make an appointment on 1800 731137.
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