HAVE you considered donating blood this year?

Coffs Harbour Blood Donor Centre needs one hundred donors urgently to be able to meet the expected demand over the holiday period.

An especially critical time to give blood is between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day to ensure blood supplies for cancer and trauma patients are available over the festive season.

Lifeblood is calling on locals to book appointments and help to ensure that the area has blood available over back to back long weekends in the upcoming holiday season.

Lifeblood Group Account Manager, Regional Partnership Team, Ruth Harrison said stocks of platelets, a short-lived blood component, were particularly under pressure during public holidays.

“Platelets are used to stop bleeding during chemotherapy or trauma, but only have a shelf-life of five days, and that means we need fresh collections every day this festive season.

“Adding to the challenge is that it takes blood donations from four people to make just one bag of platelets,” she said.

“The need for blood doesn’t stop or take a long-weekend, there are people in hospital relying on donations so they can spend holidays with loved ones.”

The call comes as Coffs Harbour Donor Centre celebrates 10 years of receiving blood donations and saving lives.

“Coffs Harbour Donor Centre wouldn’t exist or be possible without the Coffs Harbour community and our regular donors coming through the door, we simply can’t save lives without them,” Mrs Harrison said.

Those who donate this December will receive a ‘Gift of Life’ gift tag to either ‘gift’ their donation to someone this Christmas or to encourage others to donate during this important time.

“Your blood donation will be the gift of life for Australian patients this Christmas and will have a far-reaching impact not just on the lives you save, but also the lives of their loved ones,” Mrs Harrison said.

The Coffs Harbour Blood Donor Centre is located at Homebase Shopping Centre and is open on Saturday December 26 from 8am-1.30pm, Monday December 28 from 8am-12.45pm and is only closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

To book a donation visit lifeblood.com.au, call 13 14 95 or download the Donate Blood app.

 

By Sandra MOON