SASKATOON – Canadian Blood Services launched it’s annual “Holiday Miracle” campaign, counting on Canadians to make the time to give.
Cadence and Cohen Haaland are your typical brothers but they share a special bond, agammaglobulinemia. It’s a genetic blood condition that prevents the body from making proteins that protect the immune system.
“I’m just a normal kid, I just go in for treatments every month,” said Cadence, a blood product recipient.
“I look forward to it, I get to see my friends, I get to spend time with my mom,” added Cohen, another blood product recipient.
Seven-year-old Cohen, the younger of the two, was the first to be diagnosed at the age of two. Cadence, 10, was diagnosed three years ago.
Because of their condition, Cadence and Cohen are now regular blood product recipients.
“For my boys, it’s a quality of life that we might not otherwise receive unless we had those blood products to help us out, it could be the difference between spending an excruciating amount of time in the hospital,” said the boys’ mother, Carissa Haaland.
The brothers hope sharing their stories will encourage others to give this holiday season.
“At this time of year we know people are busy with their shopping, entertaining, traveling but the need doesn’t stop. So the patients in hospitals still need that blood, so we’d really appreciate if people could come in and donate,” said Moira Kohlenberg, community development coordinator with Canadian Blood Services .
With this campaign, Canadian Blood Services are hoping to meet patients needs by collecting 75,000 pints of blood nationally, including more than 5,000 donations in Saskatchewan.
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