Deb Douchette

In October 2001, Deb Doucette was in her doctor's office discussing her upcoming hysterectomy. Tumors and cysts had been found in her uterus. As long as she was there, her doctor suggested she have a routine mammogram. The mammogram revealed that Deb had breast cancer.

"Since I had faithfully had yearly mammograms, including just the year before, I was stunned to hear I had breast cancer. I sat there and learned that the breast cancer would need to be dealt with before the other surgery," said Deb. "It was a lot to take in one day."

The surgery to remove Deb's breast cancer went smoothly and didn't require any follow-up treatments. Eight weeks later, in the hospital for her hysterectomy, it was a different story.

"I remember waking up after my hysterectomy to find my doctor and my husband right there, looking into my face. My doctor said, "You need to sign this to give us permission to give you two units of blood right now or you are not leaving this hospital," said Deb. "Then my husband said, 'If you don't sign it, I will.' "

Deb, who is a long-time blood donor and Red Cross blood mobile volunteer, said her first thought was, "Who are they talking to? Me? It felt so unreal to not be on the giving side but on the receiving side of blood. It never crossed my mind I would ever need blood. Then I thought if someone else has not given, I'm not going to make it. I hope the blood is available."

Deb's husband later told her that when they wheeled Deb past him after surgery he didn't recognize her, because her skin was a grey color. During surgery, the surgeon has found a grapefruit-sized tumor near her spine in addition to other cysts and tumors, so the surgery was more extensive then anticipated and she had lost a lot of blood.

Deb said, "I still wonder today who gave the two units of blood that saved my life. I think about it all the time. I'll be in my community and wonder if it was that person or that person who saved me. I'm here because of the goodness of others."