Giving Blood to Save Lives
Save lives and give blood. Across the globe today, blood banks encouraged one and all to become voluntary blood donors to save patients battling for their life. Now, while the National Blood Bank is adequately supplied, it is anemic in certain blood types so the message resonating today is to give now and give often. News Five’s Duane Moody caught up with volunteers today and files the following report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Blood is considered the medicine for victims of trauma cases and persons in need of surgery. That supply of blood is provided by the National Blood Bank on the Central Health Region compound adjacent to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. And today, on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the organization is asking for residents to become voluntary donors because a unit of blood can save up to three lives.
Ronald Stuart
Ronald Stuart, Treasurer, Belize Volunteer Blood Donors Association
“We need to ensure that we have adequate supply and those who can give, we are encouraging you to give because certainly it is important for us to have an adequate supply when it is needed. We’ll never know when there is an accident or when there is an emergency so it is important that you play a role. The theme says, “Give Now, Give Often, Give Blood,” so that we would be able to create the situation that we’d want ideally to have hundred percent voluntary donations and to ensure that nobody has to go through the additional stress of finding donors when their loved one or colleague is in need of blood and they may need to make a public appeal.”
According to Treasurer of the Belize Volunteer Blood Donors Association, which works hand in hand with the Blood Bank, the facility currently meets the demands of the health sector. There are, however, those specific blood types that are in low supply.
Ronald Stuart
“The negative blood groups are always the smaller number of donors and so those are the ones that we consider to be rare. But certainly the supply has been good. Those persons are particularly our O-negative persons those are the ones who we would like to see more of because they can give to O-negatives or to anybody; they are the universal donors. And so we would need persons…there are a lot of persons who are really scared or concerned for one reason or the other. And it is because they do not really know.”
One person who is not scared and has been a voluntary donor for the institution is Trevor Reneau. He, along with many other persons, came out today to give blood.
Trevor Reneau
Trevor Reneau, Voluntary Donor
“It is something that I always do to help people.”
Duane Moody
“Is there any part of the process that has you scared or anything like that because that’s what people fair, the needles when coming to donate.”
Trevor Reneau
“Not really. It is just one little prick. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Duane Moody
“I was told that one pint of blood can save three lives. Are you aware of this? And would you suggest for other persons to come out and donate blood?”
Trevor Reneau
“Yes it is. Blood is one of the most precious gifts you can give to anyone; the gift of life and that’s big that’s huge for me.
Duane Moody for News Five.
