CASA GRANDE, AZ — A young man from Casa Grande who has needed hundreds of blood transfusions just celebrated a milestone birthday with a unique celebration.
For the most part, Nathan’s birthday was what you’d expect from a now-10-year-old celebrating reaching double digits.
Complete with video game gifts, Culver’s ice cream, friends, and candy — but where the party took place is far from a typical birthday setting.
When asked if Nathan would rather go to school or get a blood transfusion, he got a big laugh from those who heard him say, “blood transfusion.”
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Nathan and his boys got an up-close look at what happens to all the blood that gets donated to Vitalant from the many generous people in Arizona and how it gets to those who need it at the Tempe blood bank.
The aspiring gaming YouTube streamer has a special appreciation for those who donate because he has needed more than 160 blood transfusions since he was a baby.
His mom, April Macak, says she celebrates every day like it’s his birthday.
”I remember being at the grocery store and a woman approached me and said, ‘I’m a nurse, I think there’s something wrong with your baby. He’s very white.’ I said, ‘Excuse me?’” she said.
From that moment, Macak spent the next four years in and out of hospitals trying to figure out why her youngest of four had blood that some doctors described to look like Kool-Aid, why his red blood cells were breaking down, and why hemoglobin levels were too low.
She discovered he had a rare, genetic blood disorder called dehydrated stomatocytosis phenotype that would require a blood transfusion every few weeks.
Nathan described what it was like before and after each transfusion.
“I get like tired before and I have energy after,” he said.
Surgeries and regular checkups have now limited the number of times Nate needs to visit the blood bank but what’s grown for this family is their gratitude for those who give.
“Nathan wouldn’t be alive without a blood transfusion… without Vitalant,” said Macak.
A lot of bad thoughts can creep into the mind of a parent when you spend too much time with your kid at a hospital, but seeing generosity given in the form of something we carry with us every day, keeps negativity away for this family.
“Other people give me hope, the people that donate blood,” said Macak.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says one blood donation can save up to three lives, and donating platelets can save even more. To learn more about donating blood to Vitalant, click here.
