How donated blood and platelets helped Gennaro

“Acute myeloid leukaemia.” When Gennaro first heard the words, he had no idea what to expect. But, he tackled it the only way he knew how: head on.

He kept it together, stayed positive and found strength in his family as they started their journey. It took countless transfusion and treatments for Gennaro, as well as intense chemotherapy, but he kept his eye on the prize.

Eventually, a bone marrow donor was found who matched Gennaro perfectly. He received the transplant, and now he gets to look forward to a long future with his family. And it’s all thanks to blood donors.

Transcript:

GENNARO: Life was pretty much going according to plan and then, yeah, got diagnosed with AML - Acute Myeloid Leukaemia - and, uh...

GENNARO'S WIFE: Our world was turned upside down.

GENNARO: Yeah.

GENNARO'S WIFE: To see him go through that, I think, was just heartbreaking. But he's a fighter and I think his strength gave me strength, 'cause he was, you know, pretty positive and kept it together, so for me that made it a lot easier. Otherwise I think I would've, um, crumbled.

GENNARO: I don't think so. I had countless amounts of blood transfusions and platelet transfusions, all supplied by Lifeblood. And without them, you know, I wouldn't be here today. Every single one of those transfusions has been lifesaving, that's for sure.

My name's Gennaro and my life depends on Lifeblood.

Inspired by Gennaro's story? Book a blood or platelet donation today.