Blood Connection

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:02]Megan Hedelberg at the Blood Connection in Anderson and we're about to meet a family whose lives were absolutely rocked on November 21st of last year.

[00:00:12]The husband was involved in a horrific accident. The wife gets a call no one wants to hear. We're about to go inside and meet them and meet the lady who flew the helicopter to help save his life. So y'all come with me on this emotional story. Take us through that day.

[00:00:29]Well, to be honest I don't remember much about it. The wreck was on November 21st of 2025.

[00:00:36]Um I have about a 4-week period that I don't recall anything.

[00:00:42]Um >> [clears throat] >> So I know. Uh that day there was a two-vehicle crash and Matt was in the rear um passenger seat of the vehicle and like I said had to be cut out of the vehicle and um he was unconscious. He was not alert um and had to be uh stabilized with an airway and we had to breathe for him.

[00:01:14]>> Matt's the strongest person that I know, literally and to just see him um in that state where I can't help him, he can't help himself. Everybody that knows Matt, Matt's an elite athlete. He's He takes care of his body. He's in shape and to see him laying there Matt never sits still, ever. Yeah. And when I'm there and I see a machine breathing for him and he has no idea that he's even in the world. Um after I saw the pictures of the car, I couldn't even believe that he was there. We have um multiple blood products that we carry uh in a cooler and having that for Matt that day made the absolute difference in his um outcome, I believe. Uh to stabilize his vital signs, to help um stabilize his brain injury because we did give him plasma for that as well. Um and breach that gap to get him to the trauma bay, to get him to the OR if need be. This is what we're here. We're at the Blood Connection here in Anderson. So many times you see where it's like, "Come donate. It could save a life." I mean, that's one of the reasons that that that you're here. And even with, you know, less injury. Yeah. I mean, if he had not had the blood on the flight, uh there's no way I I feel like he would have made it.

[00:02:28]First and foremost, I believe that God worked a miracle for him to even be able to survive. But without the the flight crew that we had, they they will forever be our heroes. And and I don't mean that lightly or to be corny or anything like that. We've met them, we've talked with them, and they they'll just forever go down as part of our family, part of our story. And having the blood and the fact that they were so flawless and professional and speedy, and all the things that they did in flight, I feel like helped save Matt's life. The prognosis they gave me once we finally did talk to the doctor, um you know, Matt was not expected to make it. And then it was like, "He made it." And then it's like, "He's not expected to know his name or be a functioning citizen again." And I mean, here we are less than 6 months later. Everything improved once he got that blood transfusion, once he was in the hospital. And I remember the doctor coming in another day, and his iron had kind of gotten a little low, and they were talking whether or not to give him another transfusion. And I just piped up and I'm like, "Do it.

[00:03:32]Give it to him. Like, he got so much better after you gave him the last one."

[00:03:35]So, I do believe that the blood that he received played a vital role in his healing and him making it overall. If you could speak directly to, you know, the people that that donated the blood, donated the plasma, that helped save your life, what would you want to tell them? I would say thank you.

[00:03:54]I would say thank you.

[00:03:56]You're our hero, too. And and I mean that.

[00:04:00]Cuz had he not had it, I feel like we wouldn't be standing here today. Yeah.

[00:04:04]Would you like to meet that person? I would love to. Turn around.

[00:04:22]It's no problem.

[00:04:23]This is Bradley. This is your one of your angels.

[00:04:32]No problem, man.

[00:04:37]You can start me, too.

[00:04:39]Well, it inspired me to start donating when I'm good to donate.

[00:04:44]Well, I'll tell you what, uh you changed my life a little bit, too.

[00:04:49]Not even knowing it.

[00:04:50]You know, uh you know, a lot of times, you know, being a guy, you you got a lot of stuff in your head.

[00:04:57]Sure. Nobody wants to admit it.

[00:05:00]And I remember I was real I was going through some stuff.

[00:05:04]And I remember getting that damn that email, and I started crying.

[00:05:08]And the reason was, I got four kids myself, and I've got a wife.

[00:05:13]And I would, you know, I would love So, you know, if I'm not saying I want it to happen or nothing. Don't get me wrong.

[00:05:20]But if it happened, I would love to be able to meet that person.

[00:05:22]And that's why I told them, I said, "All right, you want me to meet them? I'm going to meet them." Bradley, what would you want to tell other people, too, because you were going through not a great time in your life, feeling like, you know, what am I doing? This is what you were doing. You were saving lives in one very selfless act.

[00:05:41]>> I could really say that out there to everybody else that, you know, you may, you know, they always want to say you may change someone's life. You never know, it might be yours you get changed in the process. Thank you for letting us be a part of this. If If you're watching and you see those commercials, you see the social media posts about donating blood, do it. This is why we ask. The Blood Connection, thank you so much for everything you do, all the lives saved. We're going to take a a quick break. More of Your Carolina coming up next.