EDMONTON – Canadian Blood Services is asking Edmontonians to help fulfill a holiday miracle for someone in need by donating blood this Christmas season.
“The need for blood is constant. Every minute of every day someone in Canada needs blood. So the need for blood does not take a Christmas holiday,” said Deb Steele-Kretschmer, communications specialist with Canadian Blood Services.
“Often it takes more than one donor to help a patient. So for instance, a person having Leukemia treatments needs the blood from eight donors every week. So we’re really encouraging people to rally together and help save lives.”
Over the next few weeks, Canadian Blood Services needs to collect nearly 19,000 blood donations, including 1,480 from Edmonton donors alone. Steele-Kretschmer says there are still over 500 appointments available between now and Jan. 4.
“Blood is perishable, especially platelets – which are part of blood. Platelets have a shelf life of just five days. That means giving blood immediately before or after holidays, like Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, is critical at this time of year,” she explained. “We need community members to rally around patients this holiday season and help make miracles come true.”
While there is a continuous need for all blood types, Steele-Kretschmer says there is a particular need for donors with O-negative blood right now.
“O-negative blood is a universal blood type, so that if there is a trauma, an accident, or a situation happening where there’s no time to type the blood, O-negative is given to those kinds of patients in need.”
Canadian Blood Services calls those who donate blood ‘miracle workers,’ and is encouraging donors to share their holiday miracle stories on its Facebook page and on Twitter with the hashtag #giveamiracle.
To book an appointment to donate, phone 1-888-2-donate or visit Canadian Blood Services’ website.
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