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Lilybelle Diaz

Lily Diaz

In December 1999, Lilybelle and José Diaz of Irondequoit, NY were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest additions to their family of four—twin baby girls. This being their third pregnancy, Lilybelle and José anticipated a routine delivery of their daughters. On December 2nd, Lilybelle passed her term date for delivery, so doctors chose to induce her labor. One day later, after many anxious hours, she finally began to deliver the first of her baby girls. Tania Suzette was born first, weighing a healthy 6.5 pounds. While her doctors anticipated only five minutes between deliveries of the twins, complications arose, leaving Lilybelle with another two hours of intense labor before Francheska Nicole, the second of the twins, was born, also weighing a healthy 6.5 pounds.

During those two hours, though, Lilybelle had lost a significant amount of blood. While delighted with the arrival of their twins, José soon became concerned about the condition of his wife, who was growing weak and pale in color. Doctors decided to transfuse Lilybelle with two pints of blood to replenish her lost amounts. "I was so tired and weak," says Lilybelle, "I couldn’t even lift my head. But as soon as they gave me my first pint, I immediately felt stronger and was able to really look at my babies."

Two days later, the Diaz family returned home—everyone healthy and strong. Tania Suzette and Francheska Nicole are now 3½ years old and growing bigger every day. Their mother thanks blood donors for giving her the lifesaving blood she needed. "I’m blood type O positive, the most common blood type in the population. Blood was available for me when I needed it, but I realize how often supplies are so low that it might not be there for someone else unless people continue to donate," says Lilybelle. "I never dreamed I would need a blood transfusion—especially during the delivery of my babies. But I did. That’s why I urge people to keep giving blood. You never know who might need your donation someday to help save their life."