Courtnee & Rowan

"This has been the best year for our family and it would not have been possible without blood donors."

Courtnee was seven weeks away from having her fourth child, a little boy, when her water broke.

Though a month and a half early, Courtnee and her husband Doug were beyond excited to meet the new member of their family.

Labor was progressing normally, though slowly, when suddenly the hospital monitors started frantically beeping.

"The nurses turned the lights on, rolled me from my side to my back and pulled back the blankets. It was at this moment that my blood pressure dropped dangerously low (68/32) and they saw that I was hemorrhaging. There was blood and tissue everywhere," Courtnee said.

She was rushed into surgery, where doctors discovered Courtnee had suffered a placental abruption.

"If we had not already been at the hospital I would have most certainly lost the baby," said Courtnee.

Instead, on Tuesday March 25 at 1:32 a.m. Rowan Joseph was born at a small but healthy 4 pounds 11 ounces.

She lost about two liters of blood that day and received a blood transfusion shortly after Rowan came into the world.

"I don't particularly think when you're having a baby, especially in a hospital environment, it had never occurred to me that anything like that could go wrong. I want to say thank you (to donors). I'm here getting ready to celebrate my son's first birthday and seeing my other son graduate high school this year. We are so grateful for the donors."