Back to Blood Recipient Stories

A Change in Plans

Vinnie Carlineo

On June 4, 2005 Vinnie Carlineo’s life changed forever. That morning the Corning resident was an 18-year-old looking forward to high school graduation with aspirations of becoming a Navy SEAL. By that evening, he had lost part of his left leg and was fighting for his life.

While on a drive to a well site he was working on, the truck Vinnie was riding in lurched off of a secluded dirt road and he was ejected from the vehicle, losing his leg on site. But his mother, Nancy Ellis, says “that God had to have been on Vinnie’s side” because within five minutes someone drove down that secluded road and discovered the accident site. He was a member of the local fire department and immediately called them and their EMT’s quickly responded. Upon arrival they were able to make a tourniquet for Vinnie’s leg until he was airlifted to Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira.

What followed was three days spent on life support in intensive care, a six-week trip to Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester, several infections and seven surgeries. During his surgeries, Vinnie, who has Type O negative blood, received 26 blood transfusions. He also needed several units of blood during his emergency treatment. Nancy believes that if it hadn’t been for those blood transfusions he wouldn’t have survived.

Nancy had started donating blood in late 2004, not knowing how important a role blood donors would play in her life just months later. She wants others to donate blood now. “A lot of people are scared initially, but I would encourage everyone to donate blood. It saved my son’s life. It saves so many lives.”

The road to recovery was long for Vinnie. He was in a wheelchair for months and was fitted for a prosthetic leg in January. He’s now walking and says next he’ll be running. He’s had tremendous support from family, friends and the hospital staff that cared for him. Vinnie had looked forward to his graduation from Campbell Savona High School on June 25, but had his final surgery on June 24. The staff at Golisano Children’s Hospital wanted him to celebrate anyway so they decorated his room and threw him a graduation party.

Vinnie’s outlook is positive. “He’s an amazing child,” says Nancy. He tells her that “it’s just a change of plans” as he now looks forward to starting college in August and hopefully opening his own business one day.

Vinnie is also looking forward to the day that he can donate blood. Then it will be his turn to help save the life a patient he may not know. Nancy will never know the donors whose blood helped save her son, but says, “I wish I could give them all a huge hug.”