# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C3580HcLS0m
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72590765-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/9d9e3e3902.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-02-28T21:00:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

In 2021, when she was just 12 years old, Lilly’s world turned upside down after a routine sports physical led to a life-threatening diagnosis.

“Lilly was diagnosed with a rare, and typically rapidly progressing, disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension,” said her mother, Katie. “She spent a month in the hospital as they diagnosed and began to treat her. She was discharged on several medications as well as oxygen 24/7. She could no longer go to school and had frequent visits throughout the next year to closely monitor the progression.”

Lilly’s diagnosis meant she had high blood pressure in the arteries that went from her heart to her lungs. There is no cure for pulmonary arterial hypertension, and without treatment, high blood pressure in the lungs can cause the right heart to work much harder, weakening the heart muscle — or even causing it to fail.

Over time, Lilly’s lungs became more obstructed, and in 2022, she was admitted to the hospital after coughing up blood from her lungs. She spent a month in the hospital and needed several blood and plasma transfusions.

In September, she underwent surgery for a double lung transplant. While at first, the procedure seemed to be a success, the celebration was short-lived.

“It was not long before things got worse,” Katie said. “Lilly had severe internal bleeding and nearly lost her life. She suffered a stroke and a kidney injury. The amount of blood product Lilly needed is unimaginable to most.”

Between her initial transfusions and the ones she received to save her life, Lilly depleted the inventory of type A+ blood at the blood bank in Boston, and she needed even more blood to help her heal.

“Without these blood donations, Lilly would not be here with us today,” her father, Greg, said. “She would not be living her wonderful new life that she is. No matter how hard she fought, Lilly could not do it alone.”

We are so grateful that Lilly is doing well today, and even more so, for the selfless blood donors who made blood available to Lilly during her time of need. ❤️ #HeartMonth

#CHDAwareness #CHDWarrior #CongenitalHeartDisease #DonateBlood #GiveBlood #DonatePlatelets #BloodDonor #DonateBloodSaveLives

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## Tags

donateplatelets, congenitalheartdisease, giveblood, donateblood, blooddonor, heartmonth, chdawareness, donatebloodsavelives, chdwarrior

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