Ok Orangeville – Listen UP!! We are the community that answers the calls for help…ALWAYS. Last year, I asked for help filling a Blood Donor Clinic that was happening on Christmas Eve…and you guys STEPPED UP and filled that clinic!
This year, I am sending out a another plea….to FILL the upcoming Blood Donor Clinic that is happening IN ORANGEVILLE on New Year’s Eve at The Best Western from 9am-2pm.
In communication with representatives from Canadian Blood Services, I have learned a lot about the process and I wanted to take a moment to share with you what I learned.
You will probably ask the same question that I did, which is “Why New Year’s Eve?” Well, what I learned is that blood and blood products have a shelf life. Platelets, which are a component of blood that is frequently used in cancer treatments, only have a shelf life of 5 days. If Canadian Blood Services shuts down for more than a couple of days, those patients would not have the blood products they need to survive. Which means that they have to hold clinics even on holidays, such as Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Who Can Donate
There are donors in Orangeville who donate regularly, which is awesome! Those regular donors CANNOT donate at every clinic though…men have to wait 56 days and women 84 days between donations, so it is absolutely crucial that we find NEW blood donors in Orangeville! Are you eligible to donate? Pop over to www.blood.ca to find out if you meet the criteria!
I donated blood for the first time at the clinic held in Orangeville in November and it was an amazing experience (and super easy and painless!). But that makes me ineligible to donate again until February. So I am really hoping that YOU can help on December 31st!
How Does Your Donation Help?
Did you know that ONE donation can save up to 3 lives? That’s a pretty powerful gift to give! I was also shocked to learn that it can take 5-8 units of blood to treat ONE cancer patient for ONE week…That really shows how important it is to have a constant supply of donors on hand! AND it can take 50+ units to save the life of one car crash victim. WOW!
Blood Types
All blood types are ALWAYS needed!
O-Negative is the UNIVERSAL donor – if this is your blood type, your blood can be used to save the life of ANYONE! Because only 7% of Canadians are O-Negative, it is the most critical blood type and it is ALWAYS in high demand because it is frequently used in emergency situations when staff don’t have the time to determine a patient’s blood type
O-Positive is the most common blood type and can be given to any patient’s with a positive RH – That means that it can be used as a donation for about 85% of the population. It is frequently used in emergency situations that require a larger volume of blood.
Give The Gift of Blood
This holiday season, I am urging you to visit www.blood.ca to sign up for the Orangeville Blood Donor Clinic. Currently, the clinic is less than 50% full – They require 100 DONORS. Will you be the next new donor to give the gift of life to someone who really needs your help??
SHARE
Please take a moment to hit “share” on this post – Make sure everyone in your network knows about this clinic and the importance of donating blood.
Thank you Orangeville – Let’s step up again and FILL this clinic!!