A Way Back to Life (1969, Finnish Red Cross)

A schoolgirl with a hole-in-the-heart condition undergoes surgery, for which 15 voluntary blood donors were called to the hospital. The operation is successful, and for the first time the girl will be able to join in games with other boys and girls and live a life without undue care. At the same time, two more blood donors were called to the hospital, when the blood of a newly-born Rhesus baby had to be changed. (League Film Library Catalogue Supplement No. 2, p 19)

00:00 Opening credits (silent)
00:26 Scene of girls playing baseball, one girl, Maria, sitting on a bench watching; Maria’s medical condition of a hole in the heart and the impact on her life.
02:25 Maria goes to hospital to undertake an operation to correct the defect in her heart; need for blood donors for her operation; blood tests undertaken.
04:25 Maria’s surgery; expertise of staff at Helsinki Children’s Clinic.
06:27 Blood donors in Maria’s blood group specifically called to give blood that morning; blood donation process.
08:50 Progress with Maria’s operation.
10:55 Another operation at the Helsinki Children’s Clinic, to give a blood transfusion to a newborn baby with Rhesus disease; the call for blood donors; other needs for urgent blood donors.
12:00 Maria’s recovery and discharge from hospital; scenes of her enjoying a more normal life.

Year: 1969
Medical adviser: H. R. Nevanlinna
Production: Yrjö Tähtelä
Producer: Finnish Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service
Copyright: Finnish Red Cross
Country: Finland

Duration: 15:02 minutes
Original format: 16mm colour acetate film with optical sound. Digitised in 2021.
File name: c00607.mp4

This film has been published with the kind permission of the Finnish Red Cross. For queries about copyright and the re-use of this film, please contact Archives.Contact[@]ifrc.org

League Film Library Catalogue No. 557, ID No. 2059 Component No. 273, c00607

Видео A Way Back to Life (1969, Finnish Red Cross) канала Red Cross Red Crescent historic film collection