Give life this summer with the Charlesglen Summer Drive
Give life this summer by donating blood with Canadian Blood Services! When you do, post a picture while you’re at the clinic to social media and use #charlesglensummerdrive to be entered to win some great prizes!
The need for blood donations in the summer is especially important, because donations go down in the summer months but the demand stays constant.
Here are some important facts on donating blood:
Since blood products have a limited shelf life, demand is constant. On average, every 60 seconds someone in Canada needs blood.
Approximately 1 in 2 Canadians are eligible to give blood. However, last year only 1 in 60 eligible donors actually did.
Across Canada, Canadian Blood Services must on average collect 17,000 units per week
1 in 2 Canadians will either need blood or know someone who will at some point in their lives.
Less than 4% of eligible donors sustain the blood system for all Canadians.
Support starts in the community for 1000s of Canadian hospital patients in need of blood and blood products
Giving blood is one of the most direct ways you can help someone.
All blood types are needed. All donors are encouraged to get involved.
To donate, you must be at least 17 years of age, in general good health, and feeling well on the day of your donation.
Donating blood is not hard to do. From start to finish, the entire donation process takes approximately one hour.
While all blood types help patients, O-negative blood is in particular demand by hospitals because it is the only type compatible with all other blood types.
As the universal donor, O-negative blood is always in need.
O-negative blood is used in the most critical situations: for neonates; patients with compromised immune systems; and for trauma victims.
When seconds count, someone’s life is on the line, and there’s no time to check blood type, hospital patients in an emergency situation can all receive O-negative blood.
Who needs blood
Every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood and often from more than one generous donor. Some examples include:
Up to 8 donors a week to help someone with leukemia
Up to 5 donors to help someone undergoing cancer treatment
Up to 50 donors to help someone in a car crash
Up to 2 donors to help someone who needs brain surgery
Up to 5 donors to save someone who needs heart surgery
Up to 2 to 8 donors to help someone with internal bleeding
Up to 2 donors a day to help someone undergoing a bone marrow transplant
Up to 4 donors a month to help someone with Aplastic Anemia
Up to 2 donors for a hip replacement
Not sure if you are eligible to donate blood? Check out the eligibility quiz here