>> MEET AVERY AND NOAH HOFFMAN. >> THEY’VE BEEN HEALTHY SINCE DAY 1, WHICH IS AMAZING FOR TWINS AS WELL. >> THE TWINS ARE THE APPLES, MAKE THAT THE PUMPKINS OF HEATHER HOFFMAN’S EYE. >> THEY HAD NO COMPLICATIONS, IT WAS JUST ME. >> FROM DAY ONE, BOTH HAVE BEEN A BLESSING, BUT ALSO A REMINDER OF HOW QUICKLY LIFE CAN CHANGE. >> MY FIRST TRANSFUSION WAS TWO DAYS AFTER MY BABIES WERE BORN OCTOBER OF 2021. >> FOLLOWING AN EMERGENCY C-SECTION, HEATHER SUFFERED THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF INTERNAL BLEEDINGS. >> TWO DAYS LATER THEY REALIZED MY HEMOGLOBIN WAS REALLY LOW, MY BLOOD COUNT. SO, THEY WANTED TO GIVE ME TWO PINTS OF BLOOD THEN AND THEY THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. >> 10 DAYS AFTER ARRIVING HOME, HEATHER BEGAN HEMORAGGING AGAIN. SHE WAS ADMITTED TO THE ER. >> THEY CAME IN WITH TWO MORE PINTS OF BLOOD. THE NURSE AND DOCTOR WERE HAND EXPRESSING IT INTO ME BECAUSE IT WAS FASTER THAN THE MACHINE COULD DO. >> WHEN YOU SAY HAND EXPRESSING? >> LIKE, LITERALLY TAKING THE BAG AND SQUEEZING IT INTO ME BECAUSE IT WAS FASTER THAN THE MACHINE COULD PUMP IT. >> THE TRANSFUSION SEEMED TO GO WELL. SHE EVEN SCHEDULED THIS PHOTO SHOOT WITH HER NEWBORNS. BUT, MOMENTS AFTER TAKING THESE PICTURES, HEATHER WAS BACK IN THE ER. >> I SAID, I HAVE TO GET HOME. I HAVE TO GET BETTER. I HAVE TO SURVIVE. I HAVE TO FIGHT AND FIGHT FOR MYSELF. I HAVE TO GET HOME TO THESE BABIES. >> OVER A 2 WEEK PERIOD SHE WAS GIVEN 11 PINTS OF BLOOD, ROUGHLY THE AMOUNT AN AVERAGE PERSON HOLDS IN THEIR ENTIRE BODY. >> SO I HAD ALL NEW BLOOD BY THE END OF IT. >> HEATHER SAYS THE IDEA OF DONATING BLOOD USED TO BE INTIMIDATING. UNDERSTANDING HOW MANY DONORS IT TOOK JUST TO SAVE HER LIFE, HAS PUT EACH PINT INTO PERSPECTIVE. >> IT’S SHOCKING HOW MUCH BLOOD IS NEEDED AND HOW QUICKLY. THOSE 11 PINTS WILL TAKE ME, PERSONALLY, OVER A YEAR TO -- OVER TWO YEARS TO RETURN. BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY DO ONE PINT EVERY 8 WEEKS. >> BECAUSE OF THOSE DONATIONS, HEATHER CAN NOW BE THERE FOR ANYTHING THE TWINS NEED. >> NOAH, HE CLIMBS ON EVERYTHING. AND AVERY IS JUST MISS LITTLE INDEPENDENT. IT’S JUST A JOY TO WATCH THEM GROW UP AND SEE THEIR LITTLE PERSONALITIES. >> FOR KCRA 3, I’M MIKE CHERRY. >> NOTHING LIKE LITTLE BABY LAUGHS. THIS WEEK, WE’RE TEAMING UP WITH VITALANT FOR THE KCRA 3 BLOOD DRIVE FOR LIFE. YOU CAN SCAN THE Q.R. CODE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE WEBSITE TO SIGN UP. THE BLOOD DRIVE IS HAPPENING JANUARY 4 THROUGH 7TH AT SIERRA COLLEGE IN ROCKLIN. AND JANUARY 5TH AND 6TH AT THE SACRAMENTO CENTRAL YMCA. AND THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE. VITALANT IS ACCEPTING WHOLE BLOOD AND POWER RED DONATIONS