Western Downs mum Jacqui Rich calls on families to give blood this Christmas after near fatal crash

A young regional Queensland mum who came close to death is on a mission to give back and is calling on Queenslanders to join her this Christmas.

Jacqui Rich introduced her son Lucas to the LifeFlight crew that saved her life after a quad bike crash in February, 2024. Photo: LifeFlight.

A young mum who came within inches of death after rupturing her spleen in a quad bike crash has called on Queenslanders to donate blood this holiday season.

Jacqui Rich was on a property at Wandoan in February 2024 when she crashed and suffered a near-fatal injury.

During a flight aboard a LifeFlight rescue chopper to the Toowoomba Hospital, doctors pumped almost two litres of blood into Ms Rich.

It was an effort that saved her life.

On Friday, Ms Rich was reunited with the team that helped on that fateful day, including LifeFlight’s critical care doctor Chris Jarvis.

“It’s great to see Jacqui looking so well today,” he said.

Toowoomba Hospital surgeons removed Ms Rich’s spleen and drained 2.5 litres of blood from her abdomen.

“Dr Chris Jarvis did such a stellar job saving me,” Ms Rich said.

This Christmas Jacqui Rich, with son Lucas and LifeFlight Dr Chris Jarvis, is calling on Queenslanders to donate blood to LifeBlood and money to LifeFlight.

Ten months on and Ms Rich has two wishes this Christmas – for Queensland to donate more money to LifeFlight and more blood to Lifeblood.

Queensland traditionally has low statewide blood stocks in mid-December and experiences a big drop in blood donations just before Christmas.

The festive season also brings a spike in serious and fatal traffic crashes as holiday makers travel on mass, visiting friends and family.

“LifeFlight and Lifeblood keep families together,” Ms Rich said.

She encouraged 100 of her friends and family to each donate $100 to LifeFlight’s $1m Christmas appeal to support critical care doctors on the rescue helicopters and has established a Lifeblood group called Jacqui’s Team to keep track of the amount of blood her friends and family donate.

Her goal is to encourage 50 new blood donors to collect 20 litres in 12 months.

“Without the generosity of strangers who donated their blood, I wouldn’t be here to celebrate this Christmas with my beautiful family,” Ms Rich said.

“I wouldn’t be here without LifeFlight and Lifeblood.

“Think of your grandparents, your parents, brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles and cousins and friends. One day, one of them might need LifeFlight. One day, one of them might need a blood donation.”

You can donate to LifeFlight’s Christmas appeal here.

If you’d like to join Jacqui’s Team, register as a blood donor with Lifeblood here.

Originally published as Western Downs mum Jacqui Rich calls on families to give blood this Christmas after near fatal crash