A Dream, a Diagnosis and a Powerful Gift from Strangers

By Keith Oppenheim, Red Cross writer

Kathleen Capetta

Just a few years ago, Kathleen Capetta described her life in Camden, Maine as “uncommonly blessed”.  The mother of three school-aged kids, Kathleen felt everything was going really well.  Until suddenly, it wasn’t.   In what sounds like a scene out of a movie, she says she had a dream in which she heard a voice telling her she was going to die.

“And I got up that morning and knew something was wrong,” she said. 

It turned out Kathleen’s dream was onto something real.   She went to see her doctor and got tests, including a mammogram.  In short time, she was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma.  Breast cancer.   What came next was tough. 

 “I had a grueling battle with breast cancer.  I got diagnosed when I was 40,” she said.  

The chemo treatments lasted 15 months.  As Kathleen continued, she felt tired and frustrated.  At times, she said, she felt like she wasn’t getting any better. 

“Ya know, there’s an exhaustion from chemo, and then there’s like – ‘unable to really function’ exhaustion.  Which is hard when you have three little kids.”

But all that fatigue would lead to personal discovery.  If Kathleen was somehow able to foresee her illness, what she did not anticipate was how donated blood would play such a dramatic role in her recovery.   At first, receiving blood was a standard part of her surgical procedure.  But later on, other factors, such as low potassium and magnesium levels, necessitated the need for additional infusions.

“And I remember being very scared,” she recalled.   “But I knew I felt really bad and my doctors said ‘we think this is going to help you feel better.’  It made me feel so much better.  I felt like a million bucks the next day.”

The support from her care system, a mix of family, friends and hospital staff was palpable.  “I’m so grateful for that entire network of people.  But the blood was a part of it.  It was there just when I needed it.”

Kathleen with her sons

Still, Kathleen’s recovery had unexpected turns.  In the midst of striving to heal, she was in a bad car accident, her vehicle hit by a large truck.   Kathleen’s wrist was badly sprained; she had a concussion and bruises.  Fortunately, she did not need blood, but collectively, these experiences gave her a completely new perspective on the impact of blood donations from the American Red Cross.   She understood in a way she never did before, that donated blood allowed cancer patients like her to keep fighting. 

“When fatigue is that debilitating, it’s hard to get up, honestly.   It physically improved my blood numbers, but more so, it infused me with hope.  I know that sounds very corny, but that’s what it did.”

To support Kathleen and other patients in need, whether in small towns in Maine or elsewhere, it takes thousands of people willing to donate.  In Northern New England alone, the Red Cross must collect 400 blood donations every day to support 80 hospitals across the region.   Across the nation, someone needs blood every two seconds.  Before her medical journey, Kathleen would say she was only “surface aware” of the need for giving.

“I think I had donated blood like maybe once or twice in my life.  I think I was somewhat ignorant.  Not entirely in the dark, but not viscerally understanding the whole thing: giving and needing.”

Today, Kathleen Capetta is in a very different place and doing well.  “They say I have no evidence of disease.  I’m just trying to live my life and not take it for granted.”  

She’s not taking anything for granted, volunteering for cancer recovery causes and supporting others who are going through similar struggles.  And Kathleen now sees her own story is a blend of intuition and something learned.   Through her dreams, her body told her she needed to find out what was going on.  But it was through her lived experience that Kathleen understood that while some medicine is made in a lab, blood is a medicine we give to each other.

“For cancer patients, I think blood is just a gift of feeling better.  And we’re taking so much medicine that’s making us feel worse.  This is something that gives you a boost.  That’s a really powerful gift.”

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, be a beacon of hope and healing for a patient in need. Make an appointment to give blood. Visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.