If you didn’t know it already, the title of this post is the tagline for Canadian Blood Services. I hope whoever thought of it got a marketing award because it’s absolutely brilliant.
Yes! Blood! It’s in you! And you can give!
I donated blood yesterday. As I walked home from the clinic munching on my second packet of cookies (Oreos followed by shortbreads) I wondered how many eligible donors in Canada give blood on a regular basis. I looked it up just now and it’s a pretty low number. According to this November 2024 article on the Canadian Blood Services website, 1 in 2 Canadians are eligible to give blood yet only 1 in 76 actually do it. Our blood donation system heavily reliant on repeat donors? This is what I’m working on… becoming a repeat donor, that is. Unfortunately my health has gotten in the way of that in the past, mostly because of low iron levels, but I think (I hope) I’m past that now.
I am always impressed about how smooth the entire blood donation process is at my home clinic. Everything from booking the appointment (or rebooking, if needed) to the time I walk out the door (fully refreshed with treats and smiles) is truly an A+ experience. The staff are friendly and attentive. They are glad I’m here and it shows. (Five stars on Google!)
For the record, I hate needles and find the “giving blood” part of giving blood to be uncomfortable, but I suck it up because I know that (a) there are people in need and (b) blood products don’t have a long shelf life. That’s why the system needs a constant flow (haha, see what I did there?) of donors as opposed to surges of peaks and valleys.
Will I be booking my next appointment? Yes, if they’ll take me. Will I try to convince others to join me and give blood too? If you’ve read this far you gotta know I’m trying.
