Saskatoon mom reflects on gift of life ahead of Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is supposed to be a day all about mom, but for Saskatoon’s Janna Dutton, it’s a day where she thinks about others.

Dutton nearly died a few years ago after suffering a miscarriage.

Recounting her experience Friday at Saskatoon’s Canadian Blood Services clinic, Dutton said she began hemorrhaging while she was two hours away from the nearest hospital.

“My husband says I was (turning) green and I was on the floor and he thought he had actually lost me by that point.”

Dutton got medical care just in time.

“Being under the big lights in the hospital and being faced with the fact that you might not have enough blood in your system even to survive is pretty intimidating, pretty scary,” she said.

Dutton said she’ll always remember the feeling of waking up in a hospital bed and finally being told she was going to be OK.

“You think about everybody around you and how much they need you. I’m also a business owner, so you think about all your staff, you know, ‘who’s going to do payroll?’ So it’s really a big relief,” she said.

Dutton said although she’ll never meet them, she’d like to thank those who donated the blood that saved her life as she gets ready to celebrate another Mother’s Day with her four kids.

“Thank you, just thank you,” she said, fighting back tears.

Dutton encouraged anyone who can to consider stopping by their local clinic and giving blood.