Merry Christmas from all the MacRaes

Ardersier family Kate, Mike, Abigail and Hollie MacRae are celebrating an extra special Christmas this year, as blood donors help them for a second time.

Kate, an accounts assistant for Arnold Clark, suffered a massive postpartum haemorrhage after giving birth to Abigail earlier this year. Her life was saved by 12 transfusions given by 12 different people across Scotland. Mike, who has Colitis, also received a lifesaving transfusion when he was just 18. 

She says, 'Eleven days after we welcomed our second daughter Abigail into the world, I suddenly suffered a severe and extremely painful secondary postpartum haemorrhage at home. My husband called 999 and I was blue lighted into hospital, quickly taken into theatre and put under general anaesthetic. As they wheeled me away, I told my husband to tell the girls I loved them.'

'We just want to say thank you to everyone who gives blood, in particular the people who gave blood for Mike when he was 18, and the twelve people who gave blood and blood products for me this year. There’s absolutely no doubt that without blood donors my children wouldn’t have a mother, and my husband wouldn’t have a wife. It’s the best thing you could give this Christmas.'

Mike continued, 'It’s scary to think that if people didn’t take half an hour, 45 minutes out their day to give blood, we could be having a very different conversation.'

Can you help?

Inverness Blood Donor Centre is located within Raigmore Hospital and must welcome a minimum of 160 blood donors through its doors each week to help maintain sufficient blood supplies for Scotland’s patients. The centre is open weekly on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you’d like to check you’re eligible to donate (or know you won’t be and want to let us know), please call us on 0345 90 90 999

• Book your appointment to give blood using our online donor account
• Alternatively, call us on 0345 90 90 999 (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday)