Donor Stories
I first learned about donating breastmilk from a friend who read about it online. After the birth of my first child, I planned to go back to work so I pumped a lot prior to returning, in order to ensure a plentiful supply for my baby while I was away. I then ended up quitting my job after two months, so that I could stay home with my child.
Once I was home full-time, I no longer needed the large surplus of frozen milk. Since I had so much breast milk stocked, I ended up running out of room in our freezer for the rest of the family’s food, so I decided to donate my extra breast milk online.
My baby was thriving without the frozen milk and donating to infants in need was a great opportunity instead of disposing of it. While my first child was breastfeeding, I was donating to a local milk bank. After the birth of my second child, the bank I had previously worked with was unable to accept donations at that time. I did a Google search, and found Helping Hands Milk Bank.
After reading about their agreement to donate money to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, and how the donated breast milk is made into therapies for premature infants in need, the choice to apply as a donor at Helping Hands Milk Bank was easy.
The milk bank was also able to process my application quickly, making me a qualified donor within only a few weeks. The partnership between Helping Hands Milk Bank and Susan G. Komen For the Cure®has a personal connection to me: my mother is a breast cancer survivor. She is in remission and has been cancer-free for 5 years – thank GOD! But I believe that the money and funding towards foundations like Susan G. Komen For the Cure®, which focus on early detection, is what saved her life.
My mother’s cancer was caught early – she was in stage 2. Within two months of the mammogram and biopsy revealing the cancer, the doctors removed the lump, and administered chemotherapy and radiation. Donating money and participating in fundraising walks for breast cancer awareness and research are a passion of mine, so being able to contribute more money to Susan G. Komen through my breast milk donations is a complete bonus.
Since I became a breast milk donor, I have shared donation information with friends and family. I also posted information on my Facebook page with the hope of spreading the word about breast milk donation. I hope that others who have a surplus of breast milk would want to donate to support a good cause such as Susan G. Komen. I have been completely blessed with an abundance of breastmilk supply, and I know this is not the case for all women. I love knowing that my gift to produce breastmilk not only benefited my two children, but premature babies are now thriving because of it!
It is empowering to know that for every ounce of milk I donated, one dollar went to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure® foundation to support breast cancer patients like my mother. I love that I have been a part of this effort, and it so special for me to know that both my boys contributed to helping little premature babies, as well as breast cancer patients like their grandma. My boys definitely made my milk supply abundant – it is because of them that I had extra milk to donate. Being a part of the Helping Hands Milk Bank program was a unique opportunity and I am thankful to have found them! We will cherish our involvement with the milk bank and keep them in our memories!" -Michelle