Parents meet 26 strangers that saved their toddler's life

Skye Savren-McCormick is only 3-years-old, but has been fighting leukaemia most of her short life. 

Today, she is recovering from her ordeal, thanks to medical staff and 71 strangers. 

Blood transfusions gave Skye a chance at a healthy life. And now, she and her parents are meeting 26 of those 71 strangers that gave her the life-saving blood. 

When Skye was only 4-months-old, her parents noticed red spots on her skin. After taking a blood sample, it was discovered that Skye had an astonishingly low platelet count. 

It was then she got her first blood and platelet transfusion. 

Speaking to TODAY, mum Talia Savren-McCormick  said that Skye wouldn't have made it without the transfusions: "We used to call it life in a bag. It definitely brought her back to life."

Doctors suspected some kind of blood cancer, and Skye was diagnosed just after her first birthday with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). 

 A rare disease, JMML is caused bone marrow making immature white blood cells, which grow too rapidly. This leads to infections, anaemia, and excessive bleeding.

Even before the diagnosis Skye was receiving blood transfusions, mum Talia knew actually when Skye would need a transfer: 

"She would get really pale and started sleeping a lot."

Over the course of her treatment, Skye received 77 transfusions from 71 donors. 

Recently, the family met 26 of those blood donors. It was a diverse group, including people such as 33-year-old Ana Martinez, an office worker who encourages her colleagues to donate; Kazuhiro Ando, 66, who wanted to donate after learning how much blood cancer patients need; and Matt Ruby, 20, a third year college student. 

The family have been overwhelmed by gratitude to the generous donors: 

"For a while, she was getting platelets every day and blood transfusions two to three times a week because she was rapidly losing cells," Talia said.

"Thank you doesn't begin to describe the gratitude we feel. They were a part of saving her life. We are just in awe."

Skye also has had three bone marrow transplants. She now has all donor cells, meaning she's cancer free. 

Her parents are hoping that eventually the lively toddler will be able to attend playschool. Talia now actively encourages people to give blood. 

"It is something that does not take a lot of time," she said. "You have the power to save a life."

If you would like more information on giving blood, see here.