Giving back 74 units of blood to the community at a recent Orange County blood drive was more than just restocking the shelves for Star Simmons; it was a good faith gesture.
Her son had used up 49 units when his organs completely shut down in a Sickle Cell crisis. His heart stopped, he drew his last breath. She said that everything was a miracle that brought him back to life.
“I decided to do a blood drive to replenish what we took, because I believe of the blessing that happened to us,” said Simmons, founder of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Orange County.
What seemed like a typical trip to the hospital last August, the same kind of Sickle Cell crisis that she had been through so many times before, turned out to be an experience that leaves even medical professionals impressed. Her son, Charon, 23, went code blue twice; his heart stopped for four minutes; his lungs filled with fluid, and was 13.5 minutes without oxygen to the brain.
Doctors administered hypothermia treatment, a process of bringing the body down to a frozen temperature after a heart attack to preserve the organs. In an induced coma, they operated on his spleen. By then, his blood was contaminated and with the lack of oxygen, they expected to amputate his feet.
Through it all, her faith never wavered. “I kept telling them that my son would walk out of the hospital with every organ intact, that God wouldn’t take him away, that he has lived a just life,” she said. “They all thought I was crazy.” About 30 doctors, some from other parts of the country, have reviewed his case, and had estimated six months’ intensive care recovery, with over a year before he’d walk again, if ever. But despite being so long without oxygen, he didn't lose brain function. These days, he’s walking with crutches, swimming once a week, attending physical therapy, and getting ready to get back to his college studies.
DONATE NOW
