Mum-of-two overcomes needle phobia for Gift of Life Campaign

DESPITE her lifelong phobia of needles one Hampshire mum is facing her fear and signing up to become a blood donor.

Sally Hillyear hopes that if she can pluck up the courage and give blood then others who share her phobia will be inspired to back the Daily Echo’s Gift of Life Appeal.

The mum-of-two who works for the Hampshire Autistic Society wants to know that if her children ever needed blood, the supplies would be there to save them.

So she is calling on all mums and dads to sign up and help us recruit 1,000 donors to help save 3,000 lives this summer and build up blood stocks.

Sally, who has three children, son James, 12, daughter Darcie, 15 months and stepson Ben, 16, believes that if she can do it then anyone can.

Determined not to back out, she encouraged colleagues Kerry James and Paul Anscombe to sign up with her for moral support.

Sally, 36, said: “I saw the campaign in the Echo and after reading the stories of those people whose lives had been saved I knew I wanted to help.

“To tell you the absolute truth it terrifies me, I hate needles, I can’t watch or look at them but it really is a fear that at my age I need to overcome.

“I need to give something back and if ever my children needed blood I want to know that the supplies are there. I am doing it for them as well as all our autistic sufferers who often need medical treatment.

“So I hope all our Hampshire Autistic Society supporters out there will sign up too. We never know when someone we love will need it. Let’s not risk the supplies not being there.”

Kerry added: “We think Sally’s being really brave and we’ll be there to support her. When my mum was young she had a blood transfusion that saved her life.

“If it wasn’t for blood donors, my mum would have died and I would never have been here so as she can no longer donate, I am doing it for the both of us.”