In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that this week – Organ Donation Week – was to raise awareness of all types of donation. I wanted to talk a little bit about why blood, bone marrow and stem cell donation are just as important as organ donation.
For me personally, blood donation has played a huge role in my recovery from my transplants – during a surgery that long and complex you loose a huge amount of blood, so I have had multiple blood transfusions. I certainly would not have recovered as well without them, if at all.
For so many, blood donations are absolutely essential. For instance, someone in a car accident, who would almost certainly die if they don’t have blood to replace what is lost. For people with all sorts of different conditions, from cancers to heart conditions, blood, stem cell and bone marrow are all life savers.
This year at the Transplant Games, we saw the Antony Nolan Team increase in numbers, only in its second year of competing. This is a team whose competitors have all had bone marrow or stem cell donations, and are doing incredibly well with them!
Blood donation is so quick and simple, virtually painless for most people and is just as important a gift as an organ. So I have a question for you all – would you accept an organ if you needed one? Would you accept a blood transfusion if you needed one? If the answer to those questions was yes, then why would you not donate?
If you are 18, then please go and check here if you can donate blood, it is so crucial to so many people. If you aren’t 18, ask your parents if they will donate, and get that conversation going! We desperately need more blood donors, as well as bone marrow and stem cell donors.
You could completely transform or save someone’s, or multiple people’s lives. Think about it!
You sign up, I’m signing off,
Lucia x
Excellent question for reflection raised in Para 5 .. Hope & wish, more & more people respond in affirmative.
Another point in favour of Blood Donation is that periodic blood donation is medically considered useful to keep donor’s own vascular system in healthy state. I don’t the exact science behind this, but I have first hand heard this from highly respected medical professionals themselves.
Happy to share that in India UTKARSH Foundation runs a similar endeavour by the name U-GOAL (U – Gift Organ-Tissue & Appreciate Life) whereby our focus is building social awareness & acceptance for Organ-Tissue Donation. We have been able to help nearly 400 people register their pledge in just about a year , an encouraging feat given Organ-Tissue Donation scenario in India.
We wish the very best for your initiative, our inititiative … In service of Humanity.
… Neena Verma , friend of Suzanne Quinney who forwarded me this link.