Donate Blood to Help Patients in Need This Holiday Season

Noah Crockett

When Noah Crockett was born in August of 2014, his moms, Susan and Lindsay, noticed that he was jaundiced and that his skin was a different complexion, but they thought he had olive skin. In October, a friend told them that it was not normal for the whites of Noah’s eyes to be yellow. She said something didn’t seem right and that the couple should take Noah to the doctor.

At 2 months old, Noah seemed fine. He showed no signs of distress. A complete blood count (cbc) test was done with their primary care doctor, and Lindsay and Susan were called an hour later.

“[The doctor] called and said you all need to get to Kosair downtown, his hemoglobin is only at a 5,” recalled Lindsay. Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues. A healthy hemoglobin level is 13 or 14. “We were freaking out at the time, thinking ‘how could this happen?’ We went through a fertility doctor. We paid extra money for a blood test. We had no history of a blood disorder.”

The hospital did 3 back-to-back blood transfusions on Noah. The doctors had no clue what was going on but assured the family that they would get his blood back to a sustainable level. 

“His blood was so low for 6 months,” said Lindsay. “We were in and out of the hospitals. At one point, his white blood count was low and we thought he had Leukemia.” During that time, Noah’s tiny body was undergoing constant blood transfusions.

The doctors ended up diagnosing Noah with Spherocytosis. 

“From what we have gathered, it means his blood cells start out as disc shaped but his membranes are so fragile, they break apart into spheres and burst prematurely,” said Lindsay. This meant Noah’s bone marrow had to work harder to produce more cells. His spleen would mistake those cells as waste and attack and eat them. “This was a constant battle for 8 years,” said Lindsay.

The doctors recommended taking the spleen out so his body would no longer attack the cells. The family had a big decision to make, because then that would mean Noah would have no spleen and must undergo surgery. Noah was also a rare case in that he showed no signs of having a blood crisis. 

“He never showed fatigue. Which is great for him but tough as parents. We never knew the signs to look for,” commented Lindsay.

Noah had 17 blood transfusions. With the transfusions came the fear of gallstones. 

“We thought we were fine and never saw any gallstones. Then one day I went to wake him up and he was yellow like Bart Simpson,” said Lindsay. A gallstone got stuck in the main binary duct and caused him to have a crisis. The couple spoke with the doctors, and they decided they wanted to take his gallbladder and spleen out.

Lindsay became emotional remembering Noah’s fight, saying, “A normal spleen is the size of your fist. Because Noah’s was eating his red cells, his took up the whole left side of his body.” Susan and Lindsay discussed the risks for a few days before deciding to go ahead with surgery. “They did a couple more transfusions before surgery. He was 7 years old. It was a 5-hour surgery, and it was so hard to walk away and leave him in the OR. He is a trooper,” Lindsay said. Surgery was successful and Noah is now a thriving 8-year-old boy.

“He’s doing great. His skin is better. He’s always going to have the blood disorder, but the problem of constant hemoglobin issues is gone now,” said Lindsay. Instead of going to the hospital every 2 weeks, Noah goes every 6 months. Susan and Lindsay are hopeful the visits can cut down to once a year. Lindsay reflected on the improvement, saying, “his quality of life is so much better now.”

The Crockett Family

To show gratitude for the lifesaving blood their son received, Susan and Lindsay decided to become regular blood donors. “I never donated before. I guess I just didn’t think about it. We came up with a plan to donate every 8 weeks. Our hope is to reach people like us who never thought about it before and encourage them to donate,” said Lindsay.

Noah’s struggle is not over, but the family is hopeful. “There is a 75% chance that Noah will pass the disorder along to his kids. It breaks my heart that he will have to look at someone one day and tell them that,” said Lindsay. The family is thankful for advances in medicine and the generosity of blood donors. “If this had happened 100 years ago, Noah wouldn’t be alive. Because the doctors would not know what was going on,” reflected Lindsay.

We are in awe of Noah’s fight and resilience. The Crockett family invites you to make blood donation a part of your family plans this holiday season.  Don’t forget kids like Noah. Help them have a future and schedule an appointment. You can schedule an appointment to donate blood by visiting redcrossblood.org

Our Louisville Holiday Hero Donorama blood drive will be held on December 27^th and 28^th at the KY Fair and Expo Center. To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and entering keyword: HERO