HUTCHINSON, Minn. — Minnesota state troopers worked together to deliver life-saving blood to a mother who was experiencing complications after delivering her daughter.
On July 21, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety says Jenapher Blair had just delivered her baby girl, Adalyn, when she began experiencing complications and lost a significant amount of blood at Hutchinson Health Hospital.
A nurse anesthetist who was with Blair that day says the birth started off as a routine delivery, but it quickly escalated into a postpartum hemorrhage, which is a life-threatening emergency.
“Without enough blood at Hutchinson hospital, the call for additional blood was made,” said Bruce Gordon with the department of public safety.
The hospital reached out to the American Red Cross, which contacted the Minnesota State Patrol’s dispatch to help transport the blood from St. Paul to the Hutchinson hospital.
Minnesota State Patrol Chief Matt Langer says a “blood run” was then initiated. Luckily, he says helicopter pilots were already in the area.
“As the road trooper was taking the blood from the Red Cross to the St. Paul Airport, our helicopter was landing, and they converged,” said Langer.
The chief says the blood was then transported from the trooper’s car to the helicopter, which flew it directly to the Hutchinson hospital with the intention of landing here.
“As they got closer, they could see there was already an air ambulance landed on the pad because they were preparing to get Jenapher out of here as fast as they could get the blood to her. So, the pilot made a great decision and landed at the airport just a few miles away,” said Langer. “Meanwhile, he coordinated with a trooper who happened to be just 5 miles outside of Hutchinson to get to the airport in Hutchinson.”
That trooper then rushed to drive the blood from the helicopter to the hospital.
“From the moment that we received the call to the minute it arrived here, it was one hour and five minutes,” said Langer.
Thanks to the work of the troopers and the hospital staff, Blair survived and spoke to the media about her experience on Tuesday. She’s sharing her story to shine a light on those who saved her life, as well as to get the word out about the lack of blood.
Blair explained that she has a condition called cholestasis, which has made each of her three pregnancies high-risk.
“I had no idea it was going to escalate to the point it was. If you guys weren’t there, if you didn’t receive that call, who knows what would have happened within that extra couple minutes, if the helicopter wasn’t available,” she told those who helped her.
Blair thanked everyone who helped her live so she can be there for her children.
“My kids have their mom, so thank you,” she said.
When asked if she plans to have more kids, she said, “Unfortunately, this all resulted in a hysterectomy, so I would not be able to have any more kids, even if I wanted to.”
Click here to learn how you can donate blood to the American Red Cross.