A 13-year-old boy who lost seven liters of blood during a routine operation has survived thanks to 23 units of donated blood. Elliott Wills, from Truro, Cornwall, suffered a burst main artery while recovering from surgery in October 2025. Doctors told his family to prepare for the worst as he hemorrhaged rapidly.
Elliott has spherocytosis, an inherited blood disorder that requires regular transfusions of B negative blood. Last year, complications from a virus necessitated the removal of his spleen and gall bladder at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. During the five-hour procedure, he received three units of blood, but later that evening his blood pressure plummeted due to massive internal bleeding.
His father, Phill Wills, 53, recalled the terrifying moment: "The alarm went off, and a tannoy call went out for the crash team. The doctor appeared and told me: 'It doesn't look good.' Elliott had lost a drastic amount of blood. A chain of porters came running past me carrying bags of blood."
A team of 20 medical professionals battled for three hours to save Elliott, who was losing blood as fast as it was transfused. He received 23 units of blood products, equivalent to seven liters or three times his body's circulatory volume. Phill added: "When his notes said he'd lost seven liters, I thought it was a typo. Surely no one can survive losing that much blood."
Elliott spent three days in an induced coma and later suffered two seizures due to brain trauma. After three weeks in hospital, he continued recovery at home. He returned to Penair School in Truro in April and is now playing football again, though he tires easily.
His mother, Gill, who has a spinal condition, was unable to be at the hospital but supported from home. Elliott said: "Thank you to everyone who gives blood. It helped save my life. I'm looking forward to my 14th birthday on June 29, a birthday I didn't think I would have."
National Blood Week Appeal
This week is National Blood Week (8-14 June), and Elliott's family urges more people to donate blood regularly. The NHS needs over 155,000 new donors this year, including 18,500 with O negative and B negative blood types, and 16,000 donors of Black heritage for sickle cell patients.
Robin Garrett-Cox, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, said: "It is wonderful to see how well Elliott has recovered and how he is highlighting the importance of blood donation."
Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, added: "Blood donations not only ensured Elliott survived a life-threatening bleed but also helped manage his blood disorder. The NHS needs more people to give blood, especially those with O negative, B negative, and Ro blood types."
To register, visit www.blood.co.uk or use the NHS Give Blood app.
