Holiday season leads to donation slowdown at Canadian Blood Services

HALIFAX – The season of giving is a slow time for donations at Canadian Blood Services and in Atlantic Canada, less than half of the appointments to donate were filled on Boxing Day.

The Atlantic director for Canadian Blood Services’ donor relations branch is asking Maritimers, who are able, to donate their blood.

“What’s important for us is this week between Christmas and New Year’s. Every year this is a down time,” said Peter MacDonald on Friday. “What a lot of people don’t realzse is that blood is perishable and hospital patients don’t get the time off between Christmas and New Year’s.”

Some people who were donating on Friday said they make it a holiday tradition.

John Attersley said he has donated blood more than 100 times. The tradition for him and his family started when they were accidentally scheduled during the holidays. After that, he said they decided to make it an annual outing.

“We just started coming in and said that would be a nice thing to do, and we kept it at that period,” said Attersley. “By donating regularly, you can sort of schedule when you’re going to be.”

From the time donors walk in the door to the time they leave, donating blood takes about 60 minutes but it takes less than 15 minutes for the blood to be drawn. Donating platelets takes a bit longer, but long-time donor Tim McLaughlin says it’s worth it.

“It doesn’t hurt. There’s a little pinch from the needle and that’s it,” said McLaughlin. “They take good care of you. Nobody bothers you and it’s worth every second.”

One in two Canadians is eligible to give blood, said MacDonald. But only four per cent are active donors. MacDonald suggests more Canadians put donating blood on their list of New Year’s resolutions in 2015.