A NEW mother is calling on people to donate blood after a traumatic experience left her indebted to strangers.

Chloé Elliot, of Potters Bar, was rushed into Barnet General Hospital last year, just seven days after undergoing an emergency caesarean section, giving birth to her son, Leo.

While breastfeeding, she felt a trickle of blood, and her partner, Zak, immediately called an ambulance.

Ms Elliot, 30, said: “When we finally arrived at the hospital, I was given gas and air while a surgeon physically pulled clots off of my uterus.

"I started to feel faint and remember looking to my partner and thinking that he was going to have to watch me die. I thought it was the end.”

She woke up in intensive care, having suffered a secondary post-partum haemorrhage and lost 4.5 litres of blood.

A five-hour surgery, involved 21 transfusions of blood products, to help stop the bleeding.

Doctors believed that an infection caused the bleeding, and Chloé spent a week in hospital to recover.

Ms Elliot thanked the paramedics, surgeons, nurses, maternity nurses and midwives, for all the help they gave her and her sons.

She has even launched a Facebook plea, asking her online friends to donate blood.

She said: "People I don’t know saved my life by doing something heroic - selflessly taking the time to give blood.

"The best way I feel I can thank these people is to attempt to replace the 21 units of blood that I was given.

"However, as a recipient of blood, I am now unable to donate. I launched a plea to my Facebook friends to donate on my behalf.”

NHS Blood and Transplant is now urging people to commit to saving lives by registering as new blood donors during the Missing Type campaign.

Last year, 10.1% of donors in Hertfordshire were aged between 17-24-years-old, and 55.6% of them were aged 45 or over.

In Hertfordshire, there is also a need for more black and south Asian donors. Last year, 154 black people and 388 south Asian people living in Hertfordshire gave blood at least once.

Director of Blood Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant,

Mike Stredder, said: “We need people from Hertfordshire – and especially Watford and St Albans - to register today as new blood donors at www.blood.co.uk. We particularly need people with blood groups O negative, and A negative to come forward and people from black and South Asian communities.

“Don’t worry if you’ve never given blood before and don’t know what blood group you are – you find out shortly after your first donation. What’s important is that you register as a donor and book your first appointment to donate.”

To register as a new donor, visit: www.blood.co.uk

Follow the campaign on social media with #MissingType.