Kevin

Recipient

At one point in his life, Kevin weighed more than 400 pounds. His weight was such a serious health risk that he underwent gastric bypass surgery, and it worked. He dropped to 190 pounds. But this is only the beginning of his story.

The loss of so much weight left Kevin with enough loose skin that he required plastic surgery – a “tummy tuck.” At first, his recovery was normal. His treatment included an IV to supply fluids and medication. It was through the IV that someone introduced acetone – a poison – in an attempt to injure or kill him.

As soon as the poisoning was discovered, Kevin was rushed to the intensive care unit. He had five dangerous blood clots in the arm to which the IV had been attached, and he was given high doses of anticoagulants to break them down. Because of the recent surgery, he began hemorrhaging, and his blood pressure plummeted. He required 16 units of blood to survive.

A suspect in the attempt on Kevin’s life goes on trial this year. But, for his part, Kevin has a new lease on life. Although he still can’t work because of the effects of the poisoning, he plans to go back to school and be a full-time college student, something he hadn’t gotten around to before. He’s also about to have a new grandchild.

Still, his good fortune truly came home to him one day when he saw a Community Blood Center van at a blood drive. “It didn’t really hit me until I saw that van,” he says. “It’s really great that people are willing to give blood to save my life. It’s good to be able to say, ‘Thank you.’”

Although he’s unable to give blood himself, Kevin helps out when there’s a drive. At one of the drives where he distributed cookies and juice, he overheard students complaining about the inconvenience of giving blood. He told them, “I’m really happy you did what you just did. If it weren’t for people like you, I wouldn’t be here. People will live because of what you’ve done. For me, every day is a gift because 16 people like you gave blood.”

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