Donors save lives amid blood, organ shortages

Stories from Australia, Scotland and Vietnam show how donated blood and plasma can be critical in emergencies. Canberra woman Shelley Jacobs says plasma donations saved her life after a condition left her at risk of fatal bleeding; the Red Cross says the city needs about 800 plasma donations each week. In Scotland, premature baby Millie received two transfusions during a 72-day hospital stay, and her mother is urging more people to donate. In Vietnam, a woman with a life-threatening obstetric emergency improved after intensive treatment that included blood transfusions, while medical staff in a separate emergency donated three units to help save a pregnant woman experiencing severe bleeding.