Boy who “didn’t think” he’d see his 14th birthday urges more people to give blood

A Truro teenager who survived after losing three times his body’s blood volume is urging more people to become blood donors as NHS Blood and Transplant launches a fresh appeal for people with vital blood types to come forward.

Elliott Wills, 13, who lives with the inherited blood disorder spherocytosis, nearly died last October after suffering a catastrophic internal haemorrhage following routine surgery at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Medical teams battled for more than three hours to save his life, transfusing 23 units of blood products; the equivalent of seven litres of blood.

Today, Elliott is back at Penair School, enjoying time with his friends and looking forward to celebrating his 14th birthday later this month; something his family say would not have been possible without blood donors.

His father, Phill, recalled the desperate moments before Elliott was rushed back into theatre.

“A chain of porters came running past me carrying bags of blood. As they whisked Elliott away I had just enough time to tell him I loved him.”

He added: “The surgeon said Elliott basically lost all his blood. It was a race against time to get the donated blood into him. Elliott is living proof that people can survive something like this, as long as the vital supplies of donated blood are there.”

Although Elliott has the rare B negative blood group, his life was initially saved with emergency O negative blood, which can be given to any patient in life-threatening situations when there is no time to identify their blood type.

Now recovered and back playing football with friends, Elliott hopes his story will inspire others to donate.

He said: “Thank you to everyone who gives blood. It helped save my life. I’m looking forward to my 14th birthday—a birthday I didn’t think I would have. If you’re thinking about giving blood, please do.”

The appeal comes as NHS Blood and Transplant reveals the number of regular O negative and B negative donors has fallen by five per cent since 2020. The NHS needs more than 155,000 new blood donors this year, including 18,500 with O negative or B negative blood and 16,000 more donors of Black heritage to help meet growing demand for Ro blood used to treat people with sickle cell.

Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Elliott’s story shows the extraordinary difference blood donors make every day. We urgently need more people to come forward, particularly those with O negative, B negative and Ro blood. You don’t need to know your blood type before donating; register today and you could help save someone’s life.”

Anyone aged 17 or over who is generally fit and healthy may be able to donate. Register and book an appointment at www.blood.co.uk or via the NHS Give Blood app.