Four-year-old Ivy of Ellalong has thanked All Saints College, St Mary’s Campus students in Maitland for their record-breaking number of blood donations over the past year.

More than 90 students in years 11 and 12 donated blood 309 times and saved 927 lives – the highest number of donations in this region, which earned them the coveted Red Cross Blood Service Vampire Shield.

Ivy has a life-threatening condition called primary immunodeficiency disorder and without a blood transfusion every 21 days she would be seriously ill, her mother Tiffany said yesterday.

“Ivy was born with the condition and has been receiving blood for the past two years,” Mrs Tregenza, a mother of seven told the Mercury.

“Before blood transfusions, Ivy was in and out of hospital, she had no response to infection, she had four counts of blood sepsis, one of sepsis shock and four bouts of pneumonia, all in one year.”

Ivy was finally approved for IVIG (intravenous immune globulin) after two knock backs.

“Without help from donors, like these lovely young people, Ivy would not have as much energy,

she would be in hospital on intra-venous antibiotics to fight infection and she would not live a normal life.

“I hope Ivy’s story has helped them understand where their donor blood goes and who it helps.”

St Mary’s students Alexandra James and Patrick Greenwood, both 17, are regular blood donors.

“Such a small contribution makes a massive difference to one person,” Patrick said.

“It doesn’t take much time or effort to donate blood to people who really need it.”

“Seeing Ivy and hearing her story put it into perspective for me,” Alexandra said.

“Giving a couple of minutes with a little discomfort to donate blood has a big impact.”