Blood donor clinic a chance to save lives

Noah Bondy is 19 months old and has severe Factor X deficiency, a rare blood coagulation disorder characterized by spontaneous internal bleeding. He is treated every week by injection with a medication derived from donated blood.

His mom says, “Without blood donations, Noah’s chances of spontaneous internal bleeding would be increased and he could face chronic pain from repeated joint bleeds, arthritis or even death from an uncontrolled bleed into major organs or his brain.”

As the population of blood donors ages—40 per cent are 50 years or older—Canadian Blood Services is faced with the challenge of seeing donors turn into recipients, making it difficult to serve the needs of young patients like Noah Bondy.

“We estimate we need to recruit 89,000 new donors nationwide this year alone,” says Joan Hannah, community development coordinator. “These new donors will help ensure we continue to meet the needs of Canadian patients like Noah, now and in the future.”

Canadian Blood Services will hold a full blood donor clinic in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium on Tuesday, February 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For this clinic, the Canadian Blood Service will use its appointment system. It encourages donors to book appointments by calling 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283). Walk-in donors are still welcome but appointments will better accommodate donors’ working schedules.

As with previous clinics, the Department of Human Resources encourages all eligible employees to participate in this worthwhile process and asks any employees who wish to donate to make the necessary arrangements with their supervisors regarding the possibility of extended lunch or break periods.