Blog of Bloodworks Northwest



Briar Gard: Tiny Girl, Big Fight

We began to see blood transfusions as her elixir of life – Something that’s necessary for her health and strength.

-Kiley & Scott Gard, blood donors & parents of Briar Gard

13-week-old Briar Gard is a fighter. Within hours of her premature birth in August 2021 at St. Michael’s Hospital in Silverdale, WA, she was airlifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University of Washington Medical Center, where she’s received 14 tiny blood and platelet transfusions from Bloodworks donors. Thanks to those donations, she continues to grow stronger every day.

Suddenly all too aware of the lifesaving power of the community that donated those transfusions, Briar’s family organized a local blood drive in her name. Among the donors was Briar’s mom, Kiley, who says:

“Having Briar in the hospital and knowing that she needs blood transfusions to survive has made us realize that when you’re donating blood, your donation could be going to someone else’s loved one.”

All across the Pacific Northwest, thousands of donors step up every day to make sure patients like Briar get the blood they need and with it, hope. Blood donations are essential to thousands of Pacific Northwest families like the Gards who are fighting complications from childbirth, cancer, trauma, and surgery.

Within Bloodworks, teams of technicians, physicians, and scientists work around the clock to maximize the impact of every blood donation. Together, we are all Bound By Blood and a shared desire to give everyone in our community a fighting chance.

Briar isn’t alone. There are and will be thousands more patients in our community who need blood transfusions to live, and we are so honored and humbled to know that they have donors like you to count on. That’s what gives us hope – that amid all the uncertainty that’s been surrounding us lately, we’ve stood together for people like Briar whose only chance comes, quite literally, from our hearts.

However you choose to support Bloodworks Northwest – with a financial donation, the very blood in your veins, your time spent volunteering – you become a part of that mission and a cure for someone like little Briar. And that’s a gift, especially in this season of gratitude, that she and her family will never forget.

Below, local news station Q13 features Briar’s story. Check it out and then book your next donation appointment! Even our tiniest patients like Briar are counting on you.

Please consider making a holiday blood donation or financial gift before the end of the year to support our ongoing mission of saving lives.

November 3, 2021 3:25PM

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