Josh's incredible survival story
How O negative blood helped save the life of the army veteran and cyclist.
Josh Boggi is an Afghanistan army veteran who needed 21 units of O negative blood after a head on collision with a lorry. Josh, whose legs and right arm were amputated after he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) ten years ago, had an accident after his front tyre burst in September 2019, while he was cycling with a group of friends in Spain.
He was heading downhill on his specially adapted bike and the collision with the lorry had a total speed of around 60km/h. He suffered a broken hip and his upper left leg was shattered, which meant another 15cm had to be amputated from his leg. Josh received ten units of blood in Spain after the accident.
He was flown back to the UK and had another eight units of blood at Salisbury Hospital. He then spent ten weeks in hospital after contracting sepsis and altogether needed 21 transfusions.
Former donor
Josh is a former blood donor who has O negative blood himself, although he can no longer donate due to the transfusions he received after his Afghanistan injuries.
His wife Anna, who is a regular blood donor, said, “I was at the bottom of the hill waiting and after a while, we realised something was up when we saw the ambulance going up the hill.”
“Josh knew what to do from the army and he stemmed the flow of blood to the femur pretty quickly with a tourniquet. For him, he was actually going pretty slowly at the time.”
We will forever be grateful to those who have donated the blood Josh received. O negative blood is important and always needed.
Anna added, “I’m most proud of the public reaction to our story, it has encouraged people to donate, and we have received lovely comments on social media.”
Anna’s most recent donation was eventually used in Queen Elizabeth Hospital where Josh was first treated in Afghanistan, a touching and full circle moment for the couple.
