A woman of the world

Jane Kuczma has Type I diabetes and has lived with it most of her life. Her battle with diabetes has been a tough one; she has lost sight in one eye and endured two kidney transplants. After both transplants, she needed lifesaving blood. While recovering from her second transplant, she lost two-thirds of her blood and her heart rate was near 122 beats per minute. “With a hematocrit level around 11 (adult women have a normal hematocrit level of 38 to 46 percent), I needed many units of blood to restore me to full health,” Jane says. “This lifesaving blood, donated by strangers willing to share theirs so freely, not only saved my life, but also restored my non-functioning transplanted kidney to full health.”

 Through it all, Jane received more than 40 units of lifesaving blood components. “I consider myself a ‘woman of the world,’ as I believe my blood donors are representative of all humanity—diversity at its finest!”