Ollie's story - little Ballymoney boy reminds us of the importance of being a blood donor

The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service is celebrating World Blood Donor Day on Wednesday (June 14).

Every week blood donors from across Northern Ireland selflessly give blood to save local lives, like little Oliver Beverland.

When Oliver was born in June 2019 with a malrotation in his bowel, it was the start of a long and difficult journey with his health. After surgery to correct the issue with his bowel, Oliver then spent 10 months in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, as he couldn’t absorb his food.

It was during this time that Oliver received the first of more than twenty blood transfusions which he would continue to receive over the next few years. By 2021, Oliver was surviving on blood transfusions every three weeks as doctors tried to discover the cause of his internal bleeding.

In July 2022, Oliver was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where a CT scan discovered one of the main arteries in his bowel was blocked and blood wasn’t able to travel back to his heart as it should do.

Oliver continued to be in and out of hospital, and on December 16, 2022, he suffered a massive hematemesis, vomiting and passing blood. He was admitted to ICU at the Children’s Hospital where he received an emergency transfusion of the universal blood group, O- negative.

On December 27, 2022, Oliver and his family travelled to King’s College Hospital in London, where a stent was fitted to the artery in his bowel which would get the blood flowing properly for him. He received his last blood transfusion in January of this year.

Since his operation, his mum Victoria says he has a new lease of life. Now, four-years-old, Oliver loves playing wrestling with his brother Carson and is looking forward to starting P1 in September.

Oliver is celebrating World Blood Donor Day and local blood donors with his family and nursery school friends, who are all wearing red on June 14. Local councils across Northern Ireland are also helping to mark the occasion to honour local blood donors by lighting up their buildings in red on the evening of World Blood Donor Day, this Wednesday.

Victoria says: “To anyone who doesn’t currently give blood, my message to them would be do it!

"It is so quick and easy and every donation can save up to three lives. Oliver is one of many with blood group A+ positive which is becoming just as rare as O- negative. So, I plead, text BLOOD to 60081 to register now.

“I think back to the difference it made to Oliver, we knew when his levels were dipping as he would get very pale, tired and lifeless and the blood transfusions really sustained him and kept him going until we were able to get the problem rectified. He’s developing so much better and has so much more independence now.

“We never think it’s going to be us or a family member needing blood, but it happens. I now give religiously every 16 weeks because I saw with my own eyes the difference it makes. It’s thanks to the selflessness of blood donors that my little boy is now well on the road to recovery.”

Northern Ireland needs 1200 blood donors each week. Every donation can save three lives, just like Oliver Beverland. To donate, please text BLOOD to 60081 or search Give Blood NI today.