Kiwi actress Narelle Ahrens’ baby required two life-saving blood transfusions before he was born.
And, as his blood levels continued to fall after birth, three more transfusions were needed.
Now, Ahrens, who has played roles in Lord of the Rings and TV drama Nothing Trivial, has made the decision to become a plasma donor, as a way of saying thank you to the New Zealand Blood Service and helping mums-to-be protect their babies.
“I just really felt I owed some people some blood. People who donate blood have saved the life of my little boy,” she said.
Ahrens is sharing her story as the New Zealand Blood Service launches its annual blood donor drive – this year dubbed “Know Your Type” – where it hopes to recruit 20,000 new donors.
Each year the lives of about 27,000 people in New Zealand are either saved or improved, by blood donations.
When Ahrens was 28 weeks pregnant with her second son Micah, now 3, she had a routine blood test that showed her body was producing antibodies.
Leave a Reply