Crystal Nguyen is among thousands of Canadians who have needed blood for lifesaving care during the holidays.
That’s why she encourages Burnaby residents to support Canada’s Lifeline and book and honour their appointments to meet patient needs.
Blood donations between Dec. 23 and Jan. 5 are essential to collect platelets, which are a vital blood component many patients living with cancer or a blood disorder may need for treatment. But platelets have a short expiry of seven days. Statutory holidays in December impact our collection hours so every blood donation counts during the holiday season. Meanwhile, patient needs don’t take a holiday.
Nguyen was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011. She required more than 100 blood transfusions and months of chemotherapy during her treatment at BC Children’s Hospital but is now an aspiring nurse and a strong advocate for blood donation.
“My care didn’t stop during the holiday season. Blood donors made a big difference in my recovery. I’m grateful for every donor who helped me and ask every eligible donor to make that wonderful, lifesaving gift this holiday season,” she said.
Quick Facts
- Shipping blood products to hospital partners is an important part of helping patients. With the support of donors, in 2018-2019 Canadian Blood Services issued more than a million blood components to over 700 hospitals across Canada.
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Canadian Blood Services uses two methods to obtain platelets. Pooled platelets are produced by separating platelets from whole blood after donation. This process accounts for approximately 80 per cent of the platelets we collect. Platelets can also be separated from whole blood during donation using a process called apheresis. This process yields more platelet volume per donation, but specialized equipment is required that can’t be made available as widely as a typical whole blood donation.
- There are many ways to donate. As a national registered charity, Canadian Blood Services also welcomes financial donations prior to the Dec. 31, 2019 tax deadline. Financial contributions are another option for people who want to support Canada’s Lifeline and want to make their blood or platelet donation go further, or for those who are ineligible to donate blood.
Download the GiveBlood app, call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or book now at blood.ca. Walk-in appointments are also available at all locations.
