A Patient's Story: Harper

Just after Harper Lucas turned 1, she became so ill that her family took her to the emergency room at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. Within 24 intense hours, Harper was diagnosed with high-risk acute lymphocytic leukemia. She had a port put in for chemotherapy and began treatment on New Year’s Day in 2019. For the next 2 1/2 years, Harper required a chemo treatment every single day.

Harper also needed numerous blood transfusions, especially during the first nine months of chemotherapy when her treatments destroyed a lot of blood cells. Over the course
of her treatment, she received approximately 30 transfusions of either whole blood or platelets. Although Harper’s mother, Kari, had always been an avid blood donor, Harper’s father, Austin,
had never donated. But once he saw how much those blood transfusions helped his daughter, he became a donor.

Harper is now a happy and thriving 3-year-old. Her family is so grateful to have been employed by Mayo Clinic and living in Rochester at the time of her diagnosis and treatment. Kari was able to take a leave from work to help care for her daughter and, as a way of coping with Harper’s health crisis, took up photography. The photo you see here for April is one of Kari’s beautiful tributes to her daughter’s journey.

Kari offers advice to those who have yet to donate blood: “It’s quick, easy, and lifesaving. There were times when Harper’s blood counts got so low it became a life-threatening situation. Donated blood helped keep our little girl alive.”

How to Donate
For more information about donating blood in Rochester, Minnesota, call (507) 284-4475 or email donateblood@mayo.edu. Or visit our webpage http://www.mayoclinic.org/donateblood.

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