“The reality of Joseph’s heart condition was a devastating, horrifying pill to swallow,” remembers Ramsay. “In the days and months leading up to his surgery, we panicked and prayed and dreaded what was to come.”

Joseph was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome, or HRHS. This is a condition in which the right ventricle of the heart fails to properly grow and develop, causing inadequate blood flow to the lungs and a poor return of oxygenated blood to the body. 

Ramsay was determined to do everything in her power as a mother to ensure that baby Joseph would be a healthy child. To achieve this goal, he would require two major surgical procedures to bypass his right ventricle and restore his heart.

Joseph was just eight months old when he underwent the first surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He was fortunate to have been diagnosed in fetus and have been in such close proximity to the hospital.

Lynne waited as doctors preformed the surgery on her son. As the surgeons finished the procedure, Joseph’s heart began to bleed at an alarming rate. He was losing blood, and would require ten transfusions of cryoprecipitate, platelets, and red blood cells before he was stabilized. “The doctors didn’t tell us that they were transfusing him at the time, but I knew what was happening, and I was grateful that the blood products were there when he needed them.”

Joseph’s recovery after his initial surgery was not easy for him or his family. He was on oxygen for several weeks and spent almost two weeks in the hospital recovering from a virus.

A year has passed since his first surgery, and despite the need for caution during flu season and other risky times, Joseph is doing very well. According to Ramsay, he is an active child who loves to play and laugh. When he plays with his family on the beach, no one can tell that this little boy’s life was so recently saved by doctors and blood donors.

Joseph is scheduled to complete the second part of his surgery in nine to ten months and doctors are confident in his chances for a complete recovery.

Lynne Ramsay is tremendously grateful for the generosity of the blood donors who helped save her baby’s life. She truly believes that the world is a better place with Joseph in it. “What has moved me beyond words is the support we received from strangers. These people were giving and kindhearted enough to dedicated their time and energy for the sake of so many people they may never meet,” she said.

Ramsay was familiar with blood donation and had even donated blood in college. But after Joseph’s surgery, she realized just how important blood donors are to those in need. “I never concentrated on how priceless blood is until what happened to Joseph. It is now very clear to me how much donors really matter.”

Lynne Ramsay has given back to the community that helped her in her time of need. She regularly hosts blood drives with the help of The American Red Cross and Big Hearts to Little Hearts, an organization that raises funds to support pediatric cardiac care and research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The American Red Cross is the main blood supply source for more than 125 hospitals in New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania. These hospitals need an average of 2,000 blood products each day for surgeries, emergency care, and to support livesaving treatments for cardiac patients such as Joseph. To ensure that blood is always available for people in need, the American Red Cross stresses the importance of making regular blood donations a part of your life.

Click here to schedule a donation appointment online, or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule via phone.