Jennifer Nolan is a mother of four boys; Hunter, Conor, Jared, and Weston, and this is her inspiring story.

In April 2008 Weston Nolan, a twelve year old boy, became ill with what was thought to be the flu. After four days, the illness only drastically worsened into what the doctors call ADEM. ADEM stands for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a disorder that is most commonly developed in children under the age of ten. Symptoms of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis come on suddenly and cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, gait disturbances, visual field deficits, irritability, changes in mental status, nausea, vomiting, and in severe cases seizures and coma as well as visual loss.

After realizing that her son’s illness was worsening by the minute, Jennifer brought him to the ER. There he was held for six hours with symptoms continuing, Jennifer stated “as a parent I thought he was slipping away.” He began to have blurred vision, slurred speech and was now paralyzed from the waist down. After three days of being in the hospital, Weston was properly diagnosed with ADEM. Receiving blood was essential for Weston’s survival and he was given antibodies from 100 different blood donors in high hopes that one would speak to his immune system. One did. After some recovery time, Weston was able to walk again and has fully recovered.

Jennifer had never donated blood up to this event and felt disappointed in herself, stating, “Without those that donate, my son would be in a wheelchair right now.” Jennifer now goes every fifty six days, along with her group of friends. She saw first hand that donating blood can make a difference in the quality of someone’s life. “It doesn’t only save lives, it also heals people.”

The Nolans are a very community service oriented family and have donated to the children’s hospital to show their appreciation. The Nolan’s would also like to thank all you donors that participated in the process to heal their Weston.

Red Cross blood donors help patients just like Weston in cities and towns throughout New England and across the United States. Please….give blood.

Patient Stories