CALGARY- He was just 10-year-old when he was hit by a car, crossing the street in his northwest neighbourhood.
“I crossed the street and dropped a Pokémon card—I hate how they’re so slippery—so I picked it up and the car was right there,” remembers Aizad Bilal. “I hoped it would stop, but then it hit me. The last scene I remembered is me in the ambulance, and this guy saying it would be OK.”
He nearly died.
“From head to toe everything was broken, he had injuries in his brain, a brain hemorrhage, every bone on his face was broken,” remembers his father, Bilal Tanweer. “His lungs were punctured, he broke ribs and arms and legs…everything.
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“I got in the room where he was, I couldn’t recognize him because he doesn’t look like himself. He was swollen and broken, the only thing I recognized was his feet and hands.”
What saved young Aizad’s life, was the gift of blood. Now 12-years-old, he wanted those who selflessly give blood, and this week he got the chance to meet Kathy Austin. She has donated blood 109 times, starting back in 1985. While there’s no way to know who she may have helped, she was happy to meet someone whose live has been saved by such gifts.
“I feel all warm and fuzzy that maybe I saved that boy’s life,” she said, after meeting Aizad. “We don’t know, but my blood is out there saving somebody.”
Aizad will still require more blood, as he has several surgeries ahead of him as he continue on the road to recovery.
Canadian Blood Services is encouraging new donors to come forward during the holiday season.
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