Lifeblood – Blood Donating and Donor Challenge

What is Blood Donation and Why do we Need to Donate Blood?

Blood that is taken directly from a donor is either used as whole blood or is separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets.  Red blood cells last for only 42 days from when donated. 

Australia needs over 1.7 million donations every year to meet the demand.  That works out to be three donations every minute.  Every single blood donation has the potential to save three lives.  

How Does Donated Blood Help Save Lives?

Red blood cells are needed to help people with a whole variety of medical concerns.  This includes people with Cancer and other blood diseases, anaemia, heart/organ and other non-orthopaedic surgeries, stomach, kidney and other diseases, fractures, pregnant women, new mums and babies and road trauma incidents.  

Blood products like plasma and platelets have some specific uses to help people.  Basically, plasma is the blood with the red blood cells taken out of it.  During plasma donations, the blood is drawn from the donor and the machine separates the blood out to collect the plasma and returns the blood cells back to the donor.  It takes a bit longer than a full blood donation. 

Plasma is used to help people in the treatment of things like, Chicken Pox, Brain disorders, immune deficiencies, tetanus, Rh disease, measles, liver disease, hepatitis B, Haemophilia, bone marrow transplants, rare blood disorders, kidney disease and severe burns.  

Platelets are tiny microscopic fragments of cells made in your bone marrow and contained in your blood.  Platelets don’t have a long shelf life so are used very soon after being donated.  They are used to help very ill people who may blood clotting problems.  This might include people with leukaemia, or other blood clotting diseases, people suffering major traumas with blood loss.  The platelets will help the patient by clumping together to stop bleeding, seal wounds and help plug leaks in damaged blood vessels.

Who Can Donate Blood?

If you are between 18 to 75 years of age and meet some other essential criteria to ensure it is safe for you to donate as well as to ensure the blood is safe to use, then you may be eligible to donate blood.  You can visit the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood webpage and check your eligibility to donate there.  Some blood types may be more needed than others as well, because some people can only receive blood of a certain type.  

Whole blood can be donated every 12 weeks whereas Plasma can be donated every two weeks.  

You need to be well hydrated and feeling well before a donation and once done you can sit for a few minutes and enjoy a drink and a snack before leaving when you are ready to go.  

Where can you Donate Blood?

There are dedicated Australian Red Cross Lifeblood blood donor centres right across Australia.  Again, you can visit the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood webpage and find the donor centre nearest to you.

Blood donors are needed all year round to meet the demand.  During the flu season (Autumn/Winter) there is a greater need for more donors to step up and donate.  During these times a lot of regular donors may become sick which prevents them from making their regular donation.  So, at these times more donors are needed to help account for this.  

(WEM Team Member: Brad Elloy) “I’ve been a plasma donor for many years and find it personally rewarding to know that I am able to help many people struggling with personal health concerns.  You can donate as an individual or you could get a group of friends, family members, work colleagues together to donate as a group.  You can create a group and enter the donor challenge and try and out do other groups with the number of donations made.  Large workplaces may be able to arrange for a donor mobile (bus) to come to your workplace for a large donation drive.”

Here at WEM, we are encouraging all our employees to become blood donors if they are eligible to do so.  We want to challenge other workplaces to do the same.  Visit the Lifeblood webpage, check your eligibility to donate, read up on how your life saving gesture can help a myriad of people.  It may even be helping someone dear and near to you.  Become a blood donor champion.