Lifeblood aims to lift bar at Henty from one in 30 donors

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood will be visiting Henty Machinery Field Days Country Lifestyle pavilion to encourage visitors to register as blood donors.

Australia needs around 33,000 donations every week to meet demand and one in three Australians will need blood or blood products in their lifetime, but just one in 30 people donate.

Lifeblood has donation centres in Wagga Wagga and Albury along with the mobile donor centres (simply search “find a donor centre” to locate your closest blood donation centre or visit Lifeblood.com.au) 

Research by the nation’s blood service found a new blood donor is needed every four minutes and one blood donation is needed every 18 seconds.

Cancer patients are the largest users of Australia’s blood supply and 34 per cent of donated red cells will go to people and children with cancer and blood diseases.

An average cancer patient needs 18 people to donate blood every month. The average treatment for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma is eight months, but it can last for years.

It is estimated up to 57 per cent of the adult population of Australia are eligible to donate but only three per cent do. 

Last year nine-year-old Wagga Wagga resident Matilda (known as Toots) Howard, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue, connect tissue or bone.

Her family travelled to Sydney for Matilda’s treatment at Westmead Children’s Hospital, and she continues to receive many lifesaving blood products (blood, plasma and platelets).

“We never thought this would be our story, never thought childhood cancer would affect any of our children,” Mrs Howard said. 

“Hearing the words that our daughter had a significant tumour in her chest and abdomen and that she needed to be flown to Sydney urgently changed our lives.

“Our world crashed around us. To watch your incredibly active, busy and confident little girl fight for her life is something we wouldn’t wish on anyone. You cannot describe the pain and heartache. 

“The first time Matilda received blood products we knew that we needed to enhance the awareness of how important it is that we all donate. We have seen first-hand the positive affects it can have on lives.

“Friends started Toot’s Blood Angels, encouraging anyone that was willing to donate, to not only save our little girl, but anyone who needed it.” 

You can book a donation now by calling 13 14 95 or book online at lifeblood.com.au or on the DonateBlood app.