NH woman says blood transfusions saved her life

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:01]WAS ALL MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH BLOOD DONATIONS.

[00:00:05]AT 63 YEARS OLD, SHERRY DON MEYER WAS LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST.

[00:00:10]I HIKE, I BIKE, I SKI, I RUN, I WATER SKI.

[00:00:15]A SELF-DESCRIBED ATHLETE, SHERRY DID IT ALL UNTIL HER BODY STARTED SLOWING DOWN.

[00:00:19]I RAN THREE MILES A DAY WITH ALL MY GIRLFRIENDS, AND THEN THEY KEPT RUNNING FASTER AND I KEPT RUNNING SLOWER AND THEY WERE LIKE, COME ON, PUSH THROUGH.

[00:00:26]YOU CAN PUSH THROUGH.

[00:00:28]I’M LIKE, I CAN’T BREATHE.

[00:00:30]AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHY I COULDN’T BREATHE.

[00:00:32]THEN CAME THE DIAGNOSIS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

[00:00:35]MY DOCTOR CALLED ME AND SAID, YOU NEED TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS.

[00:00:39]THE NEWCASTLE WOMAN WAS TOLD THAT SHE HAD CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA, A SLOW GROWING BLOOD CANCER THAT AFFECTS A PERSON’S WHITE BLOOD CELLS.

[00:00:47]I CAN’T.

[00:00:48]THEY MUST HAVE MIXED UP THE THE BLOOD TESTING.

[00:00:52]AND SHE SAID NO.

[00:00:53]FOR A WHILE, SHERRY WAS ABLE TO PUSH THROUGH THE FATIGUE, BUT EVENTUALLY HER BONE MARROW BEGAN TO SHUT DOWN.

[00:00:59]YOU MAKE NO RED BLOOD CELLS, WHICH GIVE YOU OXYGEN.

[00:01:02]YOU MAKE NO WHITE BLOOD CELLS, WHICH FIGHT INFECTION, AND YOU MAKE NO PLATELETS, WHICH ALLOWS YOU NOT TO BLEED FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, SHERRY NEEDED CONSTANT TRANSFUSIONS JUST TO SURVIVE.

[00:01:14]IF I DIDN’T HAVE A BLOOD TRANSFUSION EVERY OTHER DAY, I WOULD DIE.

[00:01:19]BLOOD DONATIONS FROM STRANGERS KEPT SHERRY ALIVE UNTIL ANOTHER STRANGER DONATED STEM CELLS.

[00:01:23]TO SOME EXTENT, IT’S GOT TO BE HARD TO RELIVE TO US WHEN YOU GO SPEAKING.

[00:01:29]WHY DO IT?

[00:01:30]WELL, I DO IT BECAUSE I’M ONLY ALIVE.

[00:01:33]BECAUSE STRANGERS DONATED BLOOD.

[00:01:35]SHERRY, WHO TODAY LIVES A NORMAL, HEALTHY LIFE, SAYS SHE HAS STRANGERS TO THANK FOR LETTING HER LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THE BIRTH OF HER TWO GRANDKIDS AND TRAVEL THE WORLD.

[00:01:44]THAT’S WHY PEOPLE SHOULD DONATE, BECAUSE IT COULD BE THE