Audrey Yates remembers the terrifying day she lost two liters of blood. “How quickly the events unraveled,” Yates said. “From me waking up, having some cramps, to eventually landing myself in the emergency room.”
Audrey had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and lost 40% of the blood in her body. “Then needing some emergency surgery,” Yates said. “To needing some blood transfusions.”
Seven months after that struggle, Community Blood Center of the Ozarks gave her a chance to meet the two donors who whose blood saved her life. One is Pleasant Hope football player Jordan Dawson. He remembers the moment he got an email describing the impact his donation had. “I ran down to my parents immediately after seeing it,” Jordan said. “I freaked out. I was so happy. All the emotions I could go through.”
For Audrey, at this moment, the pleasure was all hers. “Being able to say thank you in person was awesome,” Yates said. “I found out I was pretty much neighbors with one of them. He lives in the next town over.”
Jordan was just down the road from Audrey in Pleasant Hope. And just in the nick of time to make an impact that will last a lifetime.
