By Afraa Kori
When Pakenham mum Leonie Williames was rushed to hospital during the height of the COVID pandemic, she was grieving the sudden loss of her son and fighting for her own life.
“I was pregnant and we suddenly lost our baby Zion. The doctors aren’t exactly sure what happened,” she said.
“But there ended up being complications and I needed two bags of blood and an iron transfusion.”
Alone in a hospital room, separated from her husband due to restrictions, she was losing blood fast. Two transfusions and an iron infusion later, it was the generosity of strangers that gave her the strength to survive.
“I never thought I’d need a transfusion and suddenly I needed to rely on the generosity of strangers,” Leonie said.
“Being one of the one in three people who will need blood during their life, it will always resonate with me, that someone else’s generosity made a really awful time for us, just a bit easier. I cannot thank my donors enough for their time, and if you’ve ever donated, someone directly benefited from your kindness.”
Despite it being a horrific time, it has given her the strength to speak out and encourage others to consider the life-changing impact of blood donation.
“I’m happy to share because I directly benefited from the generous donation of someone – probably two someones, as I needed two transfusions after the complications I had,” she said.
“Blood donations cost nothing but your time. But the benefit to someone else can be literally life changing.
“I hope people can take a little time out of their day to make a horrendous day for someone else, just that little bit easier.
“You never know when you or a family member might be in a position where you need to rely on a blood transfusion to keep you safe and healthy.”
After losing Zion, Leonie and her husband shared their story on social media, encouraging friends and family to donate blood in his memory. They were deeply moved by the number of people who responded to the call.
Leonie is also helping to break the silence and stigma around grief—creating space for others to feel seen, heard, and supported in their own journeys.
“There’s no shame in loss. Every time I talk about loss, people also feel comfortable to share their stories and there’s a whole other issue of loss being socially not addressed well,” she said.
As the Pakenham Pop-up Blood Donor Centre opens, Leonie sees it as a positive step in making blood donation more accessible and convenient for the community.
“Local people need local support- it’s our community, your friends, family, work colleagues or neighbours that may benefit. Imagine a place where access to life-changing blood just wasn’t a concern? That’s possible if people step up,” she said
“Blood donations (maybe like so many other important topics) is just an area we’ve grown a bit apathetic too. It’s so easy to metaphorically look away because it hasn’t affected you. But with a one in three statistic, it will. Maybe not you, but someone you know will need life saving blood.
“I encourage people to look into it more and find out about it. It’s not difficult, and there’s free snacks!”
The Pakenham Pop-up Blood Donor Centre will run across April and May at the Pakenham Library Community Hall, with flexible session times for easy access.
“Our blood supply is running low and we need a new blood donor every 5 minutes. Save lives this Easter and have some chocolates on us,” Australian Red Cross Lifeblood states.
For more details: https://www.lifeblood.com.au/donor-centre/vic/pakenham-pop-up-donor-centre
