Blood gift makes good pledge to wife | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

It was a birthday wish unlike any other, but one Napier panelbeater Adam Hennessey could not refuse.

Wife Kate asked him to donate blood for her birthday present yesterday, encouraging the fulfilment of a pledge made after the birth of their son, Gus, two years ago.

Gus Hennessey needed several blood transfusions straight after he was born, when his umbilical chord detached inside the womb, forcing an emergency caesarean.

"I received a few other lovely bits and pieces but this is definitely the best present," Mrs Hennessey said yesterday while her husband prepared for his donation.

"Without the emergency transfusion our little guy wouldn't be here."

After a "rocky start" to life, young Gus Hennessey is now a bubbly child with no motor or intellectual difficulties diagnosed by doctors.

The families ordeal led them to make a promise to donate blood, in order to give back what they had received.

With Mrs Hennessey unable to give, she encouraged her husband to make his first donation.

"When Gus was born we realised how important donating was, it really brought it home for us," Mr Hennessey said from his reclined chair, mid-way through his donation.

"I was a bit of a procrastinator on it, but Kate motivated me by asking it for her birthday present."

New Zealand Blood Service team leader in Napier, Richard McGrath said Mr Hennessey's donation came at just the right time.

"We really need male donors at the moment, it seems females have really taken the lead and are donating more," he said.

"We are asking the men to harden up and come give blood."

While not lost on his parents, Gus Hennessey seems unaware of the good deed his father is returning, happy to sit in his lap or find lollies left out for donors to replenish sugar levels.

"He really loves dad," Kate Hennessey said.

"Even a couple of hard-headed doctors said he was a miracle baby, they said even with the transfusion he could have problems, but he's fine."

Giving his first donation was little problem to Mr Hennessey who said he was "pretty relaxed" beforehand.

"It wasn't too bad, just a little sting," he said.

Her birthday wish realised, Mrs Hennessey was focused on why the day was important.

"Somebody saved my boy's life, we'll be eternally grateful for that," she said.