Boy with rare blood disorder saved by 23 donors

By Filipa Gaspar

A boy who lost 7 liters of blood had his life saved — by 23 donors.

Elliott Wills, 13, who lives with a blood disorder called spherocytosis, was recovering from routine surgery when he suffered a burst main artery.

He hemorrhaged so much that doctors told his dad, Phill Wills, to prepare for the worst.

As the little boy was rushed to the operating room, Phill watched "a chain of porters" running down the corridor with bags of blood.

But Elliott began bleeding out the donated blood as fast as it could be transfused and a team of people battled for three hours to save him.

The NHS says Elliott survived thanks to a medical team and 23 units of blood products — potentially from 23 individual donors.

That is the equivalent of 7 liters — or three times his body’s circulatory volume.

Elliott is now doing well and looking forward to his birthday later this month — an occasion his family says he would not have lived to see without blood donors.

Phill Wills, 53, said: “The alarm went off and a PA call went out for the crash team to scan room one. The room Elliott was in.

"The doctor appeared and told me: ‘It doesn’t look good.’

"He said Elliott had lost a drastic amount of blood.

"All of a sudden people appeared from nowhere.

"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."

This National Blood Week, Elliott and his family are urging more people to come forward and start giving blood regularly to help save more lives like his.

It comes as NHS Blood and Transplant reveals that the number of regular donors with the in-demand types O negative and B negative has dropped 5% since 2020.

Around 107,000 people with O negative blood donate regularly, which is 6,000 fewer than in 2020.

The number of regular B negative donors has dropped by 1,000 in the same period to just over 20,000.

Elliott has the rare B negative blood type, but his life was saved by emergency supplies of O-negative blood.

O negative can be given to anyone and is used in trauma scenarios when a person’s blood type is not known or if a hospital does not have fast enough access to stocks of a patient’s blood type.

Spherocytosis causes severe anemia, and Elliott has received routine transfusions of B negative blood to help him stay well.

But last year complications from a virus left him needing his spleen and gallbladder removed.

During the five-hour procedure at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Elliott received three units of B negative blood that were on standby to replace the blood he lost.

The surgery appeared to go well, but later that evening Elliott’s blood pressure suddenly plummeted and an emergency ultrasound revealed massive internal bleeding.

Elliott’s mom, Gill, had been unable to travel to the hospital for health reasons and was at the family home in Truro, Cornwall, with Elliott’s 12-year-old sister, Marnie.

Phill Wills waited for news accompanied by two parents of other children on the ward.

"That day was my eldest son’s 25th birthday and all I could think was, please don’t take Elliott on Josh’s birthday,” said Phill Wills, who is a caregiver for his wife, Gill, who lives with a spinal condition and is currently recovering from major surgery.

"At 1 a.m. my phone rang from a private number. I was terrified to answer. Then one of the other parents said it meant Elliott was alive, because if it was bad news they would tell me in person.

"The surgeon said Elliott basically lost all his blood. It was a race against time to get the donated blood into him. But he was losing that too.

''When Elliott’s notes said he’d lost 7 liters I thought it was a typo.

"Surely no one can survive losing that much blood. But Elliott is living proof they can, as long as the vital supplies of donated blood are there."

Elliott spent three days in an induced coma. He then endured another setback when he suffered two seizures triggered by the trauma to his brain.

But he recovered and after spending three weeks in hospital he was well enough to continue his recovery at home.

Elliott returned to Penair School in Truro in April and is making good progress. He tires easily and needs to take extra care when playing sports, but the devoted Manchester United fan is enjoying playing soccer with his friends once more.

Phill Wills added: "Elliott is kicking a ball about again and that is because blood donors gave him a second chance at life.

"While Elliott was packing his hospital bag, someone out there was donating the blood that would save his life.

''Donors are heroes and so are the NHS teams who get the blood from the donor’s arm into the veins of a desperately ill patient like Elliott."

Elliott said: "Thank you to everyone who gives blood. It helped save my life.

''If you are thinking of giving blood please do. My mommy, Gill, had major spinal surgery back in March and also needed lots of blood.

"I’m looking forward to my 14th birthday on June 29, a birthday I didn’t think I would have. Thank you blood donors for my gift of life."

Robin Garrett-Cox, consultant pediatric surgeon at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, which is part of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It is wonderful to see how well Elliott has recovered and how he is highlighting the importance of blood donation, so that in emergencies such as these, patients are able to benefit from available blood thanks to the generosity of those who donate."

The NHS needs over 155,000 new donors to give blood this year to ensure it has the right mix of donors to meet the needs of patients.

''This includes 18,500 donors with priority blood groups O negative and B negative, plus 16,000 extra donors of Black heritage to come forward to help improve treatment for patients with sickle cell.

Just 8% of the population have O negative blood but it makes up around 16% of hospital orders, meaning it is in constant high demand.

Only 2% of the population have B negative blood, although it can be safely received by up to 13% of patients. Both groups are highly vulnerable to shortfalls.

Gerry Gogarty, director of blood supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "It is wonderful to hear about Elliott’s recovery and of the gratitude that he and his family have for blood donors.

"For Elliott, blood donations not only ensured he survived a life-threatening bleed but also helped him to manage the blood disorder he lives with.

''His experiences shine a light on just some of the many ways that donors save and improve lives every day.

"The NHS needs more people to give blood to help people like Elliott. All donations are vital but new donors with O negative, B negative and Ro blood are especially needed.

''You don’t need to know your blood type as you will find out after your first donation. Please register today and book an appointment. You may discover you have one of the ‘missing types’ that patients need right now."

Blood is constantly needed to help the NHS treat patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery, and plasma from blood donations is also now being used to create life-saving medicines.