The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands was among scores of people who donated blood yesterday at Princess Margaret Hospital’s National Blood Drive.

The event, held at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, was expected to draw about 100 people.

Dr Sands said the nation’s blood banks have been running at a “precariously low level” and encouraged people to donate “a gift of life”.

“One, it is a wonderful way of showing that as a people we care for each other,” he said. “The act of donating blood is a gift of life. People don’t pay for it, but it certainly is priceless and so by giving blood, you can make the difference of somebody living or dying.

“The donation in terms of what comes out of you is something that is easily done without. You can manage having given one pint of blood and carry on your ordinary daily activities but that single pint of blood can make a difference whether somebody can walk, breathe, get out of the intensive care unit, survive an operation.”

When The Tribune arrived, the blood bank’s supervisor Everette Miller said 15 pints of blood had been drawn so far from the drive and the team was expecting about 80 pints. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, blood donations have decreased.

Mr Miller hopes the drive shows the public that blood is needed not only during good times but in bad times as well.

Blood donations are needed for cancer patients, those who are anaemic, car accident victims, and those in surgery, etc, he said.

Donor Diane de Cardenas gives blood regularly but stopped after recently giving birth and breastfeeding.

Nervous about going to the hospital, she found the drive at the stadium was a good push for her to start giving blood again.

“Man, it’s critical because you know we all get these blasts on our you know WhatsApps and Facebook - ‘Hey, so and so loved one has been in an accident everyone rush and donate’. But if people did it regularly you know every chance you know every eight weeks or so ….then there would be no rush to do it,” she said.

The COVID-19 crisis is what motivated another repeat donor Collin Abraham to “answer the call for blood”.

“See what’s happening in the world with COVID- 19 and there’s a lot of people who have fallen ill and the virus has obviously made a demand on the health system, so blood is obviously required…. Donate blood, save a life.”