Langley’s Charlene Toll donated blood on Thursday, in part to thank the thousands of anonymous donors who saved her daughter Navy’s life.
In 2023, Navy was in the intensive care unit at BC Children’s Hospital.
“Very scary,” Toll said. “Didn’t know if she was going to make it.”
Navy, now four years old, was diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a rare blood condition. Essentially, her white blood cells weren’t working, Toll said.
The only treatment was a bone marrow transplant, which would eventually come from Navy’s older sister Hallie, who was then just five years old herself.
The transplant operation involved using high doses of chemotherapy to wipe out Navy’s immune system, followed by a lot of specialized blood donations.
In such cases, it can take up to 100 donations to make one concentrated treatment, Toll said.
“So we’re in the hole for quite a few donations,” she said.
Toll donated blood at the Sirens for Life event at Langley’s Murrayville firehall, where every year there is an informal contest between local firefighters and RCMP officers to see whose membership can donate the most blood.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to encourage blood donation and save lives.
Toll was participating at this event, in part because her husband Mike Toll is an RCMP officer, working out of the Green Timbers office in Surrey.
“You don’t understand the importance of it until somebody you love is counting on complete strangers,” Toll said of blood donation.
These days, Navy is doing well, down to checkups every three months.
“She is doing cheer and baseball,” her proud mom said.
Also donating were Township Fire Chief Jason de Roy and RCMP Insp. Lori Lynn Rene Orstad.
De Roy noted that his father required many blood donations when he became ill some years ago, and seeing that made the need hit home.
“We usually have a really good turnout from police and firefighters and the public,” De Roy said.
“Blood donations save lives every day, and if stepping forward today helps raise awareness or encourages even one more person to donate, then it’s absolutely worth it,” said Orstad.
Langley Township Councillor Tim Baillie, a former firefighter, was also donating, after a long break.
Decades ago, he got a false positive test for HIV. Although more extensive tests showed he was negative, the strict rules for over 40 years prevented him from donating. Then successive cancer diagnoses also stopped him.
After losing a brother many years ago, he was eager to be able to donate blood again.
“It’s pretty special,” Baillie said.