In order to promote awareness of the upcoming 15th Annual Okeechobee Blood Roundup to be held at the Freshman Campus Auditorium on Nov. 21 and 22, we share stories of local Okeechobee folks who have received donations of blood and the difference it made in their lives.

Bruce and Mary Anne Swinford have been serving Okeechobee for over 25 years through Big Lake Missions Outreach. During the period of September 2010 through May 2011, Bruce received multiple units of donated blood and nearly died five times. It all began with a routine colonoscopy performed at Raulerson Hospital. A cyst was discovered on his pancreas, so Bruce was sent to Cleveland Clinic where he was seen by three doctors. They told Bruce the cyst was not cancerous and gave him the options of watching it every six months or remove it. Bruce opted to have it removed; however, when the surgery was performed, his spleen and three-fourths of his pancreas were removed as well.

Bruce was sent home with two drains in his abdomen after 10 days recovering in the hospital. After a couple of days at home, Bruce began vomiting and the drainage did not look normal. He went to Raulerson Hospital but was sent back to Cleveland Clinic because the surgery was performed there. Over the next eight months, he was prescribed strong pain medications for the severe pain he was in, was in ICU several times, went into septic shock which led to multiple organ failures, lost 60 pounds, and received a total of 17 blood transfusions to replace that which he kept losing. Finally, an endoscopy was performed in Raulerson Hospital’s ICU and the doctor found two places where Bruce had been nicked during the surgery to remove the cyst, spleen and part of his pancreas. All the blood leaking from those two places into Bruce’s abdomen caused the severe pain, sepsis infection and subsequent organ failures, and the need for blood transfusions.

Bruce and Mary Anne are extremely grateful for the 17 heroes who donated the blood that saved his life five times. Their lives slowly returned to normal and now they are able to serve the least fortunate folks in Okeechobee.

Please thank Bruce for sharing his story by donating the gift of life — your blood — at the 15th Annual Okeechobee Blood Roundup on Nov. 21 and 22 at the Freshman Campus Auditorium. All blood donors will receive a commemorative Roundup T-shirt and refreshments.