Sunday marks the end of National Blood Donor Week, and Canadian Blood Services is launching a new campaign in an attempt to boost donations across the country.
The reasons campaign allows donors to share their story about why they donate blood or plasma on the Canadian Blood Services website in order to inspire others to join them.
Spokesperson Aaron Barlow said people may not realize how much blood is needed in certain cases.
“In unfortunate circumstances like a car crash, it could take up to 50 donors to help that person, it takes eight donors a week to help somebody undergoing leukemia or five donors (a week) for somebody undergoing a cancer treatment,” Barlow said. “You can see the need for blood is there.”
Barlow said there is a constant need for blood.
“We need regular donors coming in, supporting Canada’s lifeline through regular donation,” Barlow said. “The process itself only takes about an hour, but in that hour you could potentially save upwards of three lives through patients in need.”
Barlow said while there isn’t necessarily a shortage, Canadian Blood Services sees donations decrease during the summer.
“What we tend to see in the summer is just that people’s schedules change, so where that need is constant, we just don’t have enough people coming in and making those regular donations.”
Donors can also use the social media hashtag “#WhatsYourReason” to share their story.
