'My family and I owe you my life' - Shrewsbury woman's thanks to lifesaving blood donor after horror motorbike crash

Ruth Cork, from Shrewsbury, met Alex Quant-Smith after his blood plasma was transfused into her mid-flight by an air ambulance team.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) arranged the meeting to highlight its appeal for blood donors.

It comes as there is a particular need for donors over the next few weeks because of a traditional drop in donations on Bank Holidays.

With Easter falling late this year, there are four bank holidays in just six weeks, a situation which puts real pressure on blood stocks.

Ruth and Alex's meeting was filmed and broadcast by ‘The One Show’ on BBC 1 earlier this month.

Ruth, who is 38, suffered 13 broken bones and serious head and face injuries in the accident on the A65 in Cumbria in August 2022.

Her motorbike was involved in a crash with a car while travelling at around 70mph.

She was thrown over the handlebars and into a ditch.

Her injuries included a broken femur, sacrum, jaw, cheekbone, skull, pelvis, displaced and crushed vertebrae.

She had serious internal bleeding, a bleed under her chin, a sub arachnoid haemorrhage (a bleed on the brain), and internal bleeding.

The Great North Air Ambulance gave her a transfusion of red blood cells and a transfusion of blood plasma during the 14-minute flight to Royal Preston Hospital.

NHSBT gets plasma by separating it out from normal blood donations. It contains proteins which help blood to clot.

The plasma came from Alex Quant-Smith, a 36-year-old from Spalding in Lincolnshire who works as local authority teacher for deaf pupils.

Alex, a married dad of two adopted children, has provided about 15 blood donations.

He donated as a young man but then had to stop due the previous restrictions affecting gay men.

He restarted donating after the Government changed donation laws in 2021, enabling more gay men to donate.

Thanks to the care she received, Ruth was able to largely recover and has gone on to do charity runs and walks for the Great North Air Ambulance.

Ruth met Alex in an office room above the NHS Blood and Transplant West End Blood Donor Centre in central London.

On meeting Alex, a tearful Ruth said: “I owe you everything. Thank you so, so, much. My family and I owe you my life. Without you and your blood and your plasma I wouldn’t be here.”

Alex told Ruth “you don’t owe me anything” adding that it was ‘surreal’ to try and picture that his blood plasma went into Ruth.

Ruth said about the meeting: “I’m lost for words when it comes to the blood donors. Without them I could have bled out. I owe them a lot – I owe them my life.

“As an ordinary person, Alex has done something extraordinary - saving a life - which very few can say they’ve done.

“He played an early and critical role among the many who helped save mine. He will always have a special place in my heart, and in my blood!

“Meeting Alex was an emotional experience that filled me with excitement, profound gratitude, and anticipation.

“I was delighted to finally give thanks, from the bottom of my heart, to the man whose selfless act of donating blood saved my life.

“Our conversation was reassuring and enlightening. We discovered a number of shared interests as we delved into each others' life stories.

“I suspect that we have found a lasting friendship that will endure for many years to come. All from the act of Alex donating blood, without a second thought as to whom it may save.”

Alex said: “Meeting Ruth was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Knowing that one simple action has saved someone's life is something that still feels surreal. The process of donating is something that so many people can do.

“Ruth and I are still chatting via text and are arranging to meet up again. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to travel down to London and talk about blood donation.

“It's something that affected my family when I was younger. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to meet Ruth and it's made it more important for me to spread the word of blood donation and talk about it more openly!”

Laura Green, a consultant haematologist for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Blood donations are critical for saving lives after a traumatic injury. The red cells replace the blood you’ve lost, carrying oxygen around your body. And the blood plasma can help the blood to clot.

“Without Alex’s donation, Ruth may have died from her crash injuries. It was lovely to see them meet. Ruth was so grateful to Alex and so excited to thank him in person. 

“Blood donors can only meet their recipients if we arrange it, so this was a very rare and special occasion.

“We always need new blood donors but due to projected low stocks caused by the run of bank holidays from Easter onwards, we urgently need people to book appointments.”

NHS Blood and Transplant has 27 permanent blood donor centres in towns and cities and also 50 mobile teams who collect in community venues such as church halls, businesses, and sports centres.

The NHS needs nearly 200,000 blood donors every year, especially those with blood types in high demand such as O negative.

Blood is constantly needed to help the NHS treat patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery.

Blood can be split into parts after donation, so each donation can save or improve up to three lives.

To book an appointment visit the NHS Give Blood website, use the NHSGiveBlood app, or call 0300 123 23 23.