The Heart of Brian Boyle

by Lauren Ward Larsen, originally posted on her blog, Lauren Larsen’s Love, Light & Laughter

I admit it: I’m a memoir junkie. I love a good story. And I love a well-told story. And if I can get both in the same book, I’m in heaven. Recently, I got just that when I read Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead.

Iron Heart is the story of a kid – a nice kid – who’s a competitive swimmer in high school. One month after graduation, he is “T-boned” by a dump truck that runs a stop sign and slams into the driver’s side of his Chevy Camaro. At the hospital, he’s not expected to live. He’s lost 60 percent of his blood, and his pelvis and guts are pulverized. And his heart – did I mention his heart? When the doctors opened him up on the operating table, they found his heart on the other side of his chest. That one really got to me. I mean, his heart ... on the other side of his chest!

After a two-month drug-induced coma, this nice kid wakes up, but he is incapable of moving or speaking. So he lies still and listens, unable to respond when he hears words like “vegetable” and “nursing home” during discussions about his prognosis. But the kid gets the last laugh. Three years and a lot of recovery work later, he defies the odds by competing in the Kona Ironman Triathlon: 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run.

As a seven-time marathoner, I found myself cheering Brian Boyle as he crossed the finish line of one of the most respected athletic races on earth. As a fellow “train wreck,” I found myself shaking my head in solidarity at much of what Brian experienced while in the ICU. As a parent, however, my response to his book was much more visceral. A mother should not have to see her child suffer such physical pain. A father should not have to beg his son not to give up on life. Upon finishing Iron Heart, I found myself as impressed with Joanne and Garth Boyle as I was with their incredible son.

Then I did what any self-respecting new Brian Boyle fan would do: I tracked him down through Facebook and invited him and his parents to dinner. When the Boyle family arrived at the offices of America’s Blood Centers earlier this week, I found his enthusiasm for helping other blood recipients even more impressive than Brian’s unlikely comeback. Over dinner, he and I brainstormed how we could work together to spread the word about volunteer blood donation – not just small-scale “practical” concepts, but big ideas. Maybe that’s the problem with those of us who’ve come back from the dead. We know that sometimes that which isn’t possible is possible, and that these things usually offer the greatest satisfaction and the most fun. And once you’ve nearly lost your life, fun becomes a much higher priority.

Having received about 50 pints of blood, Brian now gets it. And he wants to do whatever he can to help others get it. At 24 years old, he has the youth (and long hair) to relate to high school and college audiences. With his continued participation in triathlon competitions, he’s a shoo-in with athletic audiences. And having been on both the Today Show and Ellen, his reach has expanded. (Is having 5,000 Facebook Friends even legal?)

Brian Boyle is a young man – a nice young man – with a mission. And if your mission is to save lives through transfusion medicine, he can help.

I don’t care where his heart was immediately following his horrific accident; it’s definitely in the right place today.

Lauren Ward Larsen is the author of “Zuzu’s Petals: A True Story of Second Chances,” which shares her story of becoming a 200-pint blood recipient and the unexpected life that unfolded as a result. She is also the president and chief ambassador of the Foundation for America’s Blood Centers. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or via her website at www.laurenwardlarsen.com. For more information about Brian Boyle and “Iron Heart,” visit http://iron-heart.org.

A Mother’s Thanks

by Tiffany, Liam’s mom, preeclampsia survivor, thankful parent

The memories of my son, Liam’s birth - three months premature - in 2005 have gradually faded over time. As he approaches his 6th birthday, there are few daily reminders of the ordeal we faced, and his happy, energetic, loving personality can brighten any winter’s day. But every year on his birthday, I can’t help but think back to his fragile beginning. I say a silent thank you to those who donated the blood my son received and in doing so, extended him a lifeline.

I suppose before our ordeal I had misconceptions about blood donation and the need for blood. I envisioned victims of mass trauma, most likely from car accidents or even gunshot wounds as being the stereotypical ones in need. I never thought of pregnant women or their babies when I thought of the typical blood recipient. And I certainly didn’t see myself and my baby ever being in a position to need blood. After all, I was 32, healthy, and doing everything I was supposed to in pregnancy. But we did.

My pregnancy progressed normally up until about the sixth month, when my swelling begin to increase and my normally low blood pressure begin to steadily creep up at each doctor’s visit. My kidneys begin to spill protein into my urine. Within a matter of days, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and admitted to the hospital where we hoped to give my unborn baby more precious time to grow.

However 48 hours after being admitted, my blood began to shows signs of serious problems; my red blood cells were being destroyed and my platelet count was plummeting. Platelets were immediately ordered for me. I was developing HELLP Syndrome, a life-threatening variant of preeclampsia that could cause me to bleed to death. My son was taken by emergency c-section at 28 weeks gestation and born weighing two pounds, one ounce. I was moved to the ICU where I would stay and be monitored.

I fortunately made a rapid and full recovery. My son would go on to spend 76 long days in the Newborn ICU where he received numerous blood transfusions throughout the course of his stay. At first we were petrified at the thought of a transfusion for little Liam. And yet over time, we saw how each transfusion gave him the needed boost to fight and to gain strength for the next day. During his stay, he would have surgery to close a heart ligament, ventilation for a month, suffer severe pneumonia, and deal with many of the typical preemie ailments.

My son survived his early birth in large part due to the advances of modern medicine and technology, and of course to the experienced team of medical professionals who provided his round-the-clock care. Yet for all that modern medicine could do, it could not give him the most basic of all human needs…blood. Without which he simply would not be here today. This precious gift of life given to him by fellow human beings who were complete strangers.

I don’t know who you are, what you look like, or how many of you there are, but I know there are many to thank. And I will be thanking you come my son’s next birthday.

Blood Centers of the Pacific is a proud sponsor of the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia San Jose this May. Many new mothers and their babies require donated blood to help them battle this little-understood but potentially devastating condition of pregnancy. Please visit the Preeclampsia Foundation website to learn more or better yet, join us for the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia San Jose!