Thank you so much for being a part of Jillian's bridal shower!
In lieu of gifts, Jillian has requested donations be made to Canadian Blood Services, an organization that means a great deal to her! Thank you so much for your generousity!
Why Canadian Blood services?
In 2005 and again in 2007, Jillian was diagnosed with ITP (Immune thrombocytopenic purpura), which is a blood disorder characterized by a decreased number of platelets in the blood. Since platelets are the cells that help stop bleeding, Jillian was covered in bruises and Petechiae and experienced a risk of internal and brain bleeding. The disease occurs when the immune system starts attacking the platelets in the blood which caused her to get quite sick. The treatment requires Immune Globulin (IVIG), antibodies taken from donated blood. Each treatment requires thousands of blood donations, to make a super-concentrated and very diverse collection of antibodies to help fight against the many possible infections the body may encounter. Jillian received 3 doses in 2005 and 3 more in 2007. We are very grateful that there were no further relapses and are very appreciative of all of the generous blood donations that made this treatment option possible!
Financial donations help Canadian Blood Services to strengthen its national programs and initiatives for blood, stem cells, organ and tissue donations, and research and innovation. Every donation makes a difference in efforts to improve outcomes for Canadian patients, by helping Canadian Blood Services to:
- Recruit the next generation of blood donors;
- Build a robust stem cell registry that reflects Canada's Ethnice Diversity;
- Strengthen the organ and tissue donation and transplantation system; and
- Drive world-class research in transfusion medicine.
Thank you so much for your support. This means a great deal!
For more information on how financial donations help save lives, please visit give.blood.ca.