Testimonial: Thank You for Helping Me Live

Thank-You for Helping Me Live

Andrew Torres is a 11-year-old, who likes to watch movies, play football and basketball, loves burgers and fries from McDonald's and yes, can sometimes get into his own fair share of mischief. He is on the honor role at St. Louis Schools where he is a sixth grader and is basically like any other 11-year-old. It's not until you notice that sometimes he'll have difficulty catching his breath or see the marks on his body left from needle sticks that there is something unusual about Andrew.

That something is that he was born with a genetic condition called Cooley's Anemia where his body is not able to make red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.

Since he was six-months-old, Andrew has required monthly transfusions of blood. Eventually, he had to add a nightly routine of self administering medication and connecting himself to a machine that filters out excess iron from his blood stream, a side effect of the transfusions.

According to his mother, Janice, even with what Andrew has to go through, he still lives his life to the fullest.

"He never complains and his zeal for life is just unbelievable," Janice said.

In December of 1997, the Blood Bank of Hawaii received a very heartfelt and touching letter from Andrew when he thanked the many blood donors who have given him the chance for life.

In the letter, he wrote, "Thank you for taking time off to donate blood at the blood bank...I am alive today because of the kind people that donate blood, thank you for helping me live."

Andrew and his family are very appreciative of the many men and women who participate in Hawaii's community blood donor program. They realize the importance of blood donations because of the impact it has on their family and Andrew.

"Donors are very special people," Janice explained. "I wish I could go up to everyone of them and thank them for giving my son, my little angel, a chance at life."

Article appeared in the March 1999 issue of Blood Bank of Hawaii's Circulate.