Last year, Ann Johansson spent her time doing things she loved like working as a nurse practitioner and teaching ballet to kids through a non-profit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the summer, she went on a trip to visit family and friends in Sweden alongside her parents, Karin and Joe.
On July 7, 2023, Ann would begin her long journey home. That morning, her parents dropped her off at the airport for her flight, and Ann remembers she wasn’t feeling well. While waiting at her gate, she collapsed.
Ann was rushed to the hospital in Sweden, where doctors discovered a rare abdominal aneurysm rupture.
“I lost an estimated 3.5 liters of blood into my abdominal cavity,” said Ann. “To put that in context, I am on the smaller size and probably only have about 4 liters of blood in my system.”
Doctors performed several surgeries to clamp off the aneurysm and treat complications like abdominal compression syndrome, intestinal death and kidney failure. Ann was placed in a coma for weeks.
“Karin and I spent every day at her bedside at the hospital,” said Joe. “We were desperately worried about her.”
Throughout her treatment, Ann required blood, platelet and plasma transfusions. Platelets are a key clotting component of blood and plasma is often used in emergency situations to help stop bleeding. During an emergency, it’s the blood products already on the shelves that can help save a life.
“Without replacing the blood I had lost, I would not have survived,” said Ann.
In August, Ann was transported to a hospital in the United States. The Johanssons live in Danville, Indiana, where Ann grew up, but the couple temporarily moved into Ann’s house in Pittsburgh so they could be by her side in the intensive care unit every day.
“One day, I just wept, thinking about her plans and aspirations and how it might all come to an end,” said Joe.
Doctors continued to monitor Ann’s liver and kidneys, and thought she may need transplants. Family and friends prayed for Ann, looking for a miracle to heal her organs.
“God heard and answered our prayers, as her condition slowly began to improve,” said Joe.
Ann’s organs were healing and would not require transplants. On November 7, 2023, she was discharged from the hospital.
“I was in the hospital for exactly four months, including a month in intensive inpatient physical rehab because I had to relearn all my activities of daily living like sitting, standing, walking,” said Ann.
This summer, Joe donated blood for the first time since he was 19 years old. He rolled up his sleeve at a Red Cross blood drive in Indiana, to give blood in honor of his daughter and to help patients in need. After his donation, Joe used one word to describe blood donors: inspirational.
Ann is grateful for the generous blood donors in Sweden and the United States, who gave a selfless gift through their blood donation.
“Blood donations saved my life and allowed me to get back to the things I love — taking care of my patients, crafting, and watching my nieces grow up,” said Ann.
It has now been one year since Ann was discharged from the hospital. She still receives physical therapy but is back at work and is taking ballet classes again, made possible in part by the care and blood products she received.
You can schedule a blood or platelet donation appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).
Written by Janie Bohlmann, regional communications manager.