Calls to move needle on giving blood

Getting a tattoo or going out to a bar are common things to do when turning 18, but Saige Zdebiak’s first act of adulthood was donating blood.

“It was always kind of a goal of mine. I’ve always wanted to do it because my mom’s done it hundreds of times,” said the now-22-year-old while donating at Canadian Blood Services earlier this week.

Zdebiak needed a heart transplant when she was three and developed Lyme disease when she was 10. She gives back today so health-care workers can continue to help people the way they helped her.

She is one of 400,000 donors to Canadian Blood Services across the country — but it’s still not enough to meet the recent spike in demand.

One million new blood donors are needed over the next five years to keep up with that demand, said Brett Lawrence, community development manager for Canadian Blood Services in Manitoba.

“What we’re seeing now is a much bigger spike in demand than we expected,” he said.

Lawrence said the surge has been caused by a combination of factors like population growth, aging citizens and an increasing number of surgeries requiring blood transfusions.

While 50 per cent of people can donate blood, only two per cent do, he said.

Blood transfusions are often used in emergency situations and in daily procedures.

“The thing with blood is it’s not bought by someone, it’s not produced in a factory, it’s produced by everyday people and that’s how it works for the whole country. So we need people to continue to come meet the need,” said Lawrence.

There’s an even bigger need during the summer months when routines change.

“Right now, we’re seeing a big gap in our appointment book and those appointments could represent units of blood that could be going to the hospital,” said Lawrence.

The main facility on William Avenue is open Monday and Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The organization also has mobile vans that visit different spots in the city and northern Manitoba. The nearest location can be found by entering one’s postal code on blood.ca.

Appointments, which take about an hour, can also be made on the site.

“When you leave you feel great when you donate,” he said. “What opportunities do we have in our life, for most people, that you save a life like that?” he said.

Don Pryce, who has been donating blood for 55 years, said it always makes him feel good to know he’s helping someone with each donation.

“I know it’s helping somebody somewhere, so that’s why I keep coming back,” said the 76 year old.

Pryce’s father was in the army and had donated blood to help people in need. He said the rest of his family started donating when his cousin was diagnosed with leukemia.

“If you could save one life in a lifetime, you’re doing a great job,” he said.

tiago.resko@freepress.mb.ca