Dear Editor
On behalf of Canadian Blood Services, happy New Year and a heartfelt thanks to all blood donors in North Battleford. Through your generosity more than 864 blood donations were collected in 2012. This means North Battleford donors gave enough blood to help 108 people undergoing heart surgery.
Many of us spend years trying to make our mark in the world. As a blood donor; you are having a significant impact on someone's life every time you give - someone like 12-year-old Locke Winslow from Melville.
After years of dealing with abnormally high blood pressure, doctors discovered the main artery from Locke's heart was too narrow for blood to pump through properly. It's a congenital heart defect that could have been fatal. In January 2010, Locke had his first corrective heart surgery. He was just 10 years old and needed many blood donations to help him through. Corrective surgery is only a temporary fix. Locke will need future operations on his heart and he will likely need donated blood again, too.
The need for blood continues to grow. When you give blood, it often takes less than a week for your donation to be transfused into a patient who needs blood from a donor, like you, to help them through chemotherapy, surgery, severe trauma and many other health conditions.
In 2013 more than 50,000 blood donations will be needed in our province and at least 5,000 more new donors. It's going to take a lot of heart to reach this goal, but we know we can count on North Battleford's 13,888 donors to rally together once again this year.
The next North Battleford blood donor clinic will run from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at North Battleford Don Ross Centre. This year, please consider bringing someone who has never given blood before with you. To book an appointment, please visit www.blood.ca or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283).
From my heart to yours, thank you for your continued commitment to patients across Canada and here at home in Saskatchewan and best wishes to you and your family this New Year.
Pat Young
Community Development Co-ordinator
Canadian Blood Services
