Tracy's Story

 

Last November, Tracy Fox stepped into a crosswalk and her life changed forever.

Tracy, one of our employees who works in Government Relations, was leaving an event at Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C. when she was hit by a bus. The wheels caught her left leg, and when she woke up in the hospital, she learned the damage was so extensive that she’d need an amputation.

Unfortunately, Tracy developed an infection and her hemoglobin levels dropped so low that surgery wasn’t possible. That’s when her care team ordered a blood transfusion.

“The minute my doctor said, ‘We’re going to do a transfusion,’ I asked if it would come from the Red Cross,” Tracy said. “As soon as they hung that unit of blood, sure enough, it said, ‘Generously donated to the American Red Cross.’ That one unit of blood saved my life because I was able to have surgery, eliminate the infection, and go on to recover.”

Tracy received her blood transfusion on Christmas Day, the best Christmas present she says she’s ever gotten. She spent January in the hospital and was eventually able to return home, continue rehabilitation, and receive a prosthetic leg.

Tracy says she’s living proof of something that's often said here at the Red Cross: Every blood donation makes a difference.

In her words:

“I received one unit of blood, but that ‘just one unit’ made the difference between life and death for me. I had a successful outcome because someone thought to go and donate that one unit of blood. It really can be one unit that changes a person’s life in an instant. I’m especially grateful to that person who donated and changed my life — and all who donate.

“It’s such a journey, and every day is a new learning. First, it was how to get out of a hospital bed. Then, how do I hop around with a walker. Once I was fitted for my prosthetic leg, that was a whole new journey. I do therapy three times a week to work on strength, balance and gait. At 50 years old, I have found new muscles I didn’t know existed!

"Through it all, I’ve been reminded just how lucky I am in a million ways. If I had been just one or two steps further in the crosswalk, it would have been a totally different outcome. If just one person reads my story and goes to donate blood, that’s what I want and why I keep pushing forward.”

Just one unit of blood could save a life. Make an appointment to donate blood: https://rdcrss.org/3y5zBdZ