National Blood Donor Week (June 13-18) is typically a time to celebrate donors across the country.
This year, however, Canadian Blood Services is focused on a critical need for blood donations and is urging Canadians to make an appointment right away to donate before July 1.
“Patients across the country need more donors to step forward for life-giving blood donations,” said Mark Donnison, vice president, donor relations, in a press release.
“We recently called on Canadians to fill more than 150,000 donation appointments by Canada’s 150th birthday to ensure that there is enough blood to meet patient needs throughout the summer. As of today, we’re not on track to meet that target, so we are pleading with Canadians to book an appointment to donate and replenish supplies before July 1.”
Donors are very busy and have lots of demands on their time. They are often already active in their communities, managing work, families, friends and many other activities.
This sometimes leads to blood donation dropping down the list of priorities. With last week’s launch of National Blood Donor Week, Canadian Blood Services is still urging Canadians to put blood donation at the top of their list of things to do.
Did you know?
- One-in-two Canadians will need blood at some point in their life
- Last year, it is estimated Canadian Blood Services helped more than 650,000 patients across the country through the products and services it provides; its support was possible thanks to the generosity of more than 785,000 donors (including blood, organ, stem cell and financial donors)
- One in two Canadians will either need blood or know someone who will at some point in their lives
- Across Canada, Canadian Blood Services must collect 16,000 units of blood every week
To book an appointment today, locate a clinic, check your eligibility and more, download the GiveBlood app or visit blood.ca.
