# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DXICv2lDlYo
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72587507-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/cc529b709c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-04-14T20:34:46.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

For months, Monique Gamboa searched for answers for a medical crisis. She was experiencing extremely heavy and painful periods that left her weak and exhausted. Despite multiple visits to the doctor, she struggled to get clear answers as her condition worsened.

Eventually, an ultrasound revealed the cause: more than six benign uterine tumors — some as large as her fist — and dangerously low hemoglobin levels. Monique was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, a condition that affects a majority of women in the U.S. by age 50 but has long remained under‑researched and underestimated.

Her doctor recommended surgery right away, but her body wasn’t ready. Too weak to proceed, Monique first needed blood transfusions — many of them. She received two units of blood each week for several weeks to stabilize her condition and prepare her for surgery.

But even with preparation, the risk didn’t end in the operating room.

“On the day of my surgery, I lost so much blood that I needed another transfusion,” Monique said.

In moments like this — when blood loss is sudden and severe — hospitals often rely on type O blood, which can be given immediately when a patient’s blood type is unknown or when large volumes are needed quickly.

For Latino patients like Monique, this need hits close to home. 57% of Latinos have type O blood, making Latino blood donors essential to ensuring lifesaving blood is available when the unexpected happens.

“The people who donated blood have no idea how much they helped me,” Monique said. “I’m here because of their generosity. They saved my life. Because of them and the support of the Red Cross, I was able to go back home to my children, my husband, and my family.”

After making a full recovery, Monique carried more than relief with her — she carried purpose and a drive to give back. In September, she donated blood for the first time.

“That day was incredibly emotional,” she said. “It really stayed with me. Now, I want to donate every 56 days because I want to give someone else the same chance I was given.”

#DonateBlood #GiveBlood #BloodDonor #Fibroids

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## Tags

fibroids, blooddonor, giveblood, donateblood

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