Family wouldn't exist if 'miracle baby' Maggie hadn't got pioneering NHS blood transfusion

Maggie Hackney’s beingness was saved by a pioneering humor transfusion the twelvemonth the NHS was founded. Now she's appealing for Brits to donate a pint this Christmas

A occurrence babe who was 1 of the archetypal patients to acquisition a afloat humor speech has called connected radical to springiness the acquisition of humor this Christmas.

Maggie Hackney’s beingness was saved by a then-pioneering process to regenerate her humor successful 1948. She was calved with Rhesus illness which afflicts astir 500 babies a twelvemonth and occurs erstwhile a large woman's humor produces antibodies that onslaught her unborn baby's reddish humor cells. If near untreated, terrible cases tin pb to proceeding loss, blindness, encephalon harm and adjacent death.

Maggie had been truthful sick infirmary nurses urgently baptised her due to the fact that they thought she wouldn’t survive. She became 1 of the archetypal patients to person an speech humor transfusion which sees each the patient’s circulating humor measurement dilatory withdrawn and an adjacent magnitude of healthy, prewarmed humor and plasma infused via a catheter into a large humor vessel.

Maggie, 76, from Hitchin, Herts, said: “I was told I was 1 of the archetypal recipients of an speech humor transfusion. I was told it was revolutionary astatine the time. Even today, you tin inactive spot the scars connected my wrists and ankles. I person been happily joined for 52 years, and person 3 astonishing children and 3 fantastic grandchildren. I volition ne'er beryllium capable to convey the NHS humor work capable for giving maine a accidental of endurance arsenic a newborn baby.”

Maggie ne'er forgot wherefore she was fixed a accidental astatine beingness and has fixed humor regularly passim her life. She became an ambassador for the humor service, giving talks successful schools and colleges. The mum-of-three was awarded an MBE successful the 2012 New Year’s Honours list. As a 17-year-old dental caregiver successful 1966 Maggie went to prima successful the 10-minute humor donation movie ‘The Givers’, which was screened astatine cinemas earlier a movie started, and is present being re-released online.

Maggie is present fronting an urgent NHS entreaty arsenic it has conscionable 4 weeks to physique the stocks needed to get it done Christmas and into the New Year. The Christmas play is peculiarly engaged truthful radical are little apt to find the clip to donate. The occupation is that the play is besides peculiarly engaged for hospitals which request much lifesaving blood.

Maggie said: “I’d similar to springiness a immense convey you to each the humor donors past and present. I cognize that this wintertime volition beryllium hard for humor stocks truthful delight springiness humor if you can. People instrumentality it for granted that determination volition ever beryllium a proviso of humor if immoderate of their loved ones mightiness request it. But it’s lone determination if radical take to give. I was an enthusiastic humor donor for galore years myself, isolated from a interruption for my 3 fantastic children.”

Maggie was monitored with regular infirmary visits for the archetypal 5 years of her beingness until medics could beryllium definite it had worked. Nowadays successful the astir superior cases of Rhesus illness a afloat speech humor transfusion tin beryllium carried retired portion the babe is inactive successful the womb.

NHS Blood and Transplant has filmed Maggie’s absorption watching the ‘Look astatine Life’ documentary again, afloat of 1960s nostalgia. Former fittingness teacher Maggie said: “Watching the Look astatine Life movie aft astir 60 years was amazing, including seeing my mum. I watched it with my household and we had a giggle. I retrieve the filming arsenic if it were yesterday. I was 17 and truly nervous. It was the section swimming pool. I didn’t cognize the radical successful the movie but we became friends afterwards. I went to the cinema connected much than 1 juncture to ticker myself!”

The caller entreaty comes aft the Mirror launched the Give a Pint, Save a Life run to assistance humor stocks retrieve aft the Covid-19 pandemic amid ongoing shortages. The NHS remains connected Amber Alert for debased humor stocks. One donation tin prevention up to 3 lives. During Christmas week past twelvemonth request for the captious O antagonistic humor benignant – the cosmopolitan benignant utilized to prevention lives successful emergencies – exceeded collections by 300 units. Last December the NHS collected astir 108,000 donations - 10% beneath the monthly average.

Dr Lise Estcourt, NHSBT’s aesculapian manager for humor transfusion, said: “It was an honour to amusement Maggie this movie again aft astir 60 years. While galore things person changed, 2 things haven’t – the generosity of radical who donate humor and the information that it saves lives. This wintertime volition beryllium challenging for stocks and we impulse radical to donate humor to assistance america done Christmas and beyond. You could adjacent assistance idiosyncratic young turn up to unrecorded a afloat life, conscionable similar Maggie.”

NHSBT says donor centres successful towns and cities are present astir apt to person the unfilled appointments up until the caller year.

To registry oregon publication an assignment sojourn blood.co.uk, usage the GiveBlood app oregon telephone 0300 123 2323