A female passenger is reportedly suing Celebrity Cruises for allegedly transfusing her with HIV-tainted blood when she encountered an emergency aboard their ship in December 2021.
The woman claims she was on her fifth day of a seven-day cruise when she suffered rectal bleeding from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and the medical staff sought the help of passengers for blood donations, according to TMZ. The woman claims the doctors aboard the ship told her she wouldn’t have survived without the transfusion. However, she believes the blood she was given that day has led to a lifelong condition that she now has to live with, according to TMZ.
A Celebrity Cruises passenger says her medical emergency while onboard became an absolute nightmare for her, because the ship’s medics gave her a blood transfusion from someone who had HIV. https://t.co/47uYRiIUW8
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 25, 2022
According to documents filed by the woman, the medical staff aboard the ship appealed to all the passengers aboard the ship in an effort to secure the blood required for her emergency procedure, TMZ reported. She claims that announcements were made on the ship’s PA system, asking the passengers if they would be willing to donate A-negative blood. The woman says four passengers graciously offered to assist her, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Scientists Develop 100% Effective Treatment For HIV, According To Study)
With their help, she received an emergency, life-saving blood transfusion. However, according to documents filed as part of a Federal lawsuit, she claims she has since been diagnosed with HIV, and she believes that to be the direct result of the blood transfusion.
The documents filed don’t specify when the woman was diagnosed with HIV, but it’s clear that she holds Celebrity Cruises accountable for not screening the blood they transfused her with, according to TMZ.
The woman is suing Celebrity Cruises for unspecified damages, reported the outlet.