Blood Donors Help Save the Life of 17-Year-Old Car Accident Victim
Lee Lee Jones, 17, and her 21-year-old brother, Jesse, were in a horrible car accident last June. Jesse suffered minor injuries, but Lee Lee's wounds left her fighting for her life. Blood donors helped give her a second chance.
As soon as Lee Lee and Jesse pulled out onto Route 13 in Delmar, their car's tire rod broke sending the car into a spin. The car went down a ditch and sliced through 130 feet of trees. Jesse was conscious and hanging half way out of the driver's seat with his seat belt in place. He looked over and saw Lee Lee nonresponsive. When he grabbed her left arm, it was only hanging on by a thread. The arteries and muscles were severed, and she was losing blood rapidly. Jesse held her arm to stop the bleeding and yelled for someone to call 911.
"Once emergency crews were on the way, Jesse called me. He was screaming and I couldn't understand him. It was a nightmare," said their mother, Chris Melvin. "When I got to the scene, no one would tell me just how badly Lee Lee was injured. The medics were crying, the firefighters were upset, and I didn't know if she was still alive."
Lee Lee was airlifted to Christiana Hospital but wasn't expected to survive.
However, five hours after the accident, doctors told Chris that they were going to be able to re-attach Lee Lee's arm from the elbow down and repair her arteries. They said she had lost more than a third of her blood volume and needed blood transfusions.
"I had so much going through my mind at that moment, but to know that I didn't have to worry about there being a safe, adequate blood supply gave me such peace of mind," said Chris. "Blood donors gave my daughter a second chance. She has already had 4 operations and now has 75% usage of her arm. It is amazing! I'm so grateful to the wonderful hospital staff and the people who took the time to donate the blood that saved Lee Lee's life."
Chris encourages all of her friends, coworkers, and neighbors to give blood regularly. To help patients like Lee Lee, call 1 888 8-BLOOD-8 or click HERE.
