NORFOLK, Va. — Antonio Hodges says he should not be here.
“If it wasn’t for that blood, you know, I wouldn’t have been here right now. And that was a blessing," he said.
The Norfolk resident nearly died after complications from a dialysis procedure caused him to start bleeding uncontrollably in his neighborhood.
“I seen all the blood," he said.
Hodges tried to get help, making it to a neighbor’s home. But by the time first responders arrived, he says he was already slipping away.
“I couldn’t fight no more," he said. "I said a prayer. I said, ‘God… I’m gone.’”
What happened next is part of a growing effort across Hampton Roads to bring life-saving care directly to patients before they ever reach a hospital.
For about a year now, Norfolk Fire-Rescue crews have been carrying whole blood on certain emergency calls, allowing paramedics to begin transfusions on scene or while transporting patients.
Batallion Chief Fred Paquet said the blood is dispatched to the most critical calls.
“Whole blood is dispatched on certain calls… patients that are hemorrhaging significantly.”
That includes victims of shootings, stabbings and other traumatic injuries where time is critical.
“It’s as simple as setting up an IV… and we can deliver that blood in a matter of minutes.”
He said that speed is changing outcomes for patients who may not survive long enough to make it to a hospital.
“We used to think that getting these patients to the hospital was the only answer. It turns out patients were dying before we could get them to the hospital to get the whole blood.”
Now, crews can stabilize patients earlier, sometimes before they reach the trauma bay.
“We can deliver that blood… before they even reach the trauma bay.”
The program is part of a broader regional effort led by the Tidewater EMS Council, which coordinates emergency medical services across much of eastern Virginia.
David Long, executive director, said the goal is to get blood to patients faster.
“In severe trauma, people don’t die from a lack of care. They die from bleeding too fast," he said.
He said replacing blood loss quickly, especially in the minutes immediately after an injury, can make the difference between life and death.
“What we do is essentially buy time for those patients to make it to the surgical intervention," Long told News 3's Jay Greene over a Zoom interview.
That early response window is critical.
“When you think about an injury occurring… that 36-minute window is the space that EMS operates in," he said/
Since launching the program in 2022, Long said the results have been significant.
“We have transfused 522 units of blood… and we have roughly a 73% discharge to survival," he said.
He said that represents a noticeable improvement in outcomes.
“You’re talking about a 25% increase," Long said.
A $150,000 grant from the Commonwealth Transfusion Foundation is helping expand the program by funding additional blood supply, equipment and training.
“It’s an investment… one that directly impacts survival," he said.
Right now, several Hampton Roads jurisdictions, including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth, are part of the program, with more expected to join.
“We don’t want to create disparities of care… we’d like all 26 jurisdictions to be able to carry," he said.
For Hodges, that effort already made a difference.
“They were fighting so hard for me.”
He has since met the crews who helped save his life, something he describes in simple terms.
“It feel like… I got family," Hodges said.
His sister, Cheryl Palmer, said the experience changed everything for their family.
“They had to apply a lot of blood… because we had lost him," Palmer said.
She said more people need to understand how critical programs like this can be.
“More people need to know about it. If you don’t know, you don’t know," she said.
Hodges said he is grateful to still be here.
“I’m feeling blessed… I got something to live for.”
Fire officials said expanding access to whole blood and increasing donations will be key to saving more lives across Hampton Roads.
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