Osoyoos resident Larry Stone is a lifelong blood donor.
The 69-year-old man first started donating blood when he was just 16 years old.
On Wednesday, he marked his 535th donation.
“I would have been at 1,000, but I had a stroke in 2012 and they kicked me out for 10 years, so I lost 500 donations,” Stone told Global News.
After years of giving blood, he now donates plasma at the Kelowna Plasma Donor Centre.
Over the years, his donations became more personal.
“My wife’s brother was in a serious car accident,” Stone said. “He went through about 30 units of blood plus plasma, so it’s just to give back.”
Giving is badly needed right now.
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) said it’s currently operating with one of the smallest donor bases in over a decade.
CBS said that Christmas is traditionally tougher to receive donations because of holiday demands, but that this year is proving especially tough.
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“What we’re seeing this year is an erosion of our donor base because of COVID. It has furthered that impact and fewer people are coming to donate,” said Janna Pantella, business development manager at the Kelowna Plasma Donor Centre.
According to CBS, its donor base has decreased by 31,000 people since the start of the pandemic.
Some of them have not returned yet while others are being plagued by other illnesses.
“Even the flu right now is impacting donors’ ability to keep their appointments,” Pantella said.
Pantella also said that after two Christmas seasons of restrictions, people are getting back to holiday travel and that too is having an impact on donor numbers.
CBS is appealing to Canadians to help fill the 25,000 appointments nationwide before Dec. 31.
Plasma, which makes up 55 per cent of our blood, is in short supply — not only in Canada but around the world as well.
That shortage is concerning given the fact plasma is used to treat a variety of diseases.
“It can be a little challenging to see how something that looks like chicken broth or apple juice is going to save someone’s life, but this is actually going to be transformed into life-saving medications,” said Pantella.
Blood donations are also down. The organization said the ideal inventory for each blood group is between five to eight days’ worth of supply.
It currently only has between three and four days.
“We need Canadians to choose their way to contribute to Canada’s lifeline and book that appointment,” Pantella said.
The collection of blood and plasma is very similar but it’s used in different ways and for different treatments.
If you are able to donate, you can book an appointment on the Canadian Blood Services website or by calling 1-888-2-DONATE. (1-866-236-6283).