Mill Creek Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Bloodworks Northwest hosted a blood drive at the Mill Creek City Hall North parking lot on Aug. 30.

The event was moved from Central Market last minute, however, the next blood drive will be held in their parking lot on Sept. 20.

This blood drive is in honor of Hannah Mae Campbell and her family. Hannah was born with diffuse rhabdomyomatous, a rare heart condition caused by a benign tumor that overtook her heart cells.

“A heart when you are a baby is the size of a walnut. It’s very small,”said Jennifer Campbell, Hannah’s mother. “When her heart came out at 4 months old, it was the size of a grapefruit.”

While living at Seattle Children’s for six months after her birth, Hannah had multiple surgeries and 59 blood transfusions.

“Basically, 59 people somewhere in this world donated blood and it went to my daughter,”she said. She almost lost her life four times, Campbell said.

According to Campbell, her daughter is the only person in the world with this condition. She is only the fourth diagnosed who has been documented. The last known case was in 1987, she said.

Now, Hannah is 7 years old and set to start second grade. Beginning on her first birthday, Hannah has been hosting annual blood drives at the family’s local church as a way to give back to the community.

Campbell used to work at Central Market when pregnant with Hannah. Since then, the store has been focused on helping the cause in support of Hannah by hosting monthly blood drives.

According to the Community Blood Center, one pint of blood can save up to three lives.