Lincoln mum’s plea after baby saved by rare ‘NEO’ blood
“One donation can save a life” – as NHS reveals one in four donors have the specialist blood needed for critically ill newborns
A Lincoln mum is urging more people to give blood after her baby son survived against the odds thanks to specialist ‘NEO’ donations.
Meghan Lusby’s son Joey, now two, needed multiple life-saving transfusions after being born prematurely at just 27 weeks.
He became critically ill at just two days old, suffering a bowel perforation before going into septic shock — requiring emergency surgery and urgent blood transfusions to survive.
Joey spent eight months in neonatal intensive care at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, where further transfusions helped keep him stable through multiple operations.
Meghan said: “Every time Joey went into surgery the doctors weren't sure if he was going to make it. It was life or death, basically.
“But it wasn’t just the doctors who saved his life, it was blood donors too. Joey would not be here if the hospital did not have the blood he needed in that moment.”
‘NEO’ blood — used for newborn babies — must be free from cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus that is harmless to most adults but can be fatal for vulnerable infants.
The NHS says around one in four donors have this type of blood, with around 200,000 people in England currently able to help treat babies in neonatal care.
Despite this, more donors are urgently needed — especially ahead of busy holiday periods when blood stocks can drop.
Meghan, who now donates blood herself, says the impact is powerful: “I got a message saying my blood had gone to a children’s hospital — it felt like a full circle moment.”
Health leaders say just one donation can help save up to six babies.
The NHS is encouraging anyone who can to register and book an appointment — with a particular need for O negative, B negative and donors from Black heritage backgrounds.
As Meghan puts it: “There’s no easier way to save a life.”