Blood Service in Whangarei wanting donations for busy festive season

The national blood service at Forum North, Whangarei Whangarei woman Maureen Rudsdale donates for the 50th time 18 December 2017 Northern Advocate photograph by John stone

Whangarei woman Maureen Rudsdale reckons giving blood is easy and something people should do if they are able — and she should know, yesterday she gave her 50th donation.

Mrs Rudsdale was one of around 100 people who visited Forum North yesterday to give a donation to the NZ Blood Service, which is in town this week asking people to donate a little blood for the busy festive season.

The Blood Service has about 110,000 blood donors on its database nationally and about 42,000 people a year receive blood products. Every year around 28,000 people drop off the donor registry. The service will collect about 500 units while in Whangarei this week.

Mrs Rudsdale has been donating since the early 1990s and only misses donating when the service comes to Whangarei if she is ill - you can't donate if you are feeling unwell.

She said giving blood was easy, only took about 30 minutes of your time and your donation may save a life.

''I'm O negative (blood group) so my blood can be given to anybody and I'd urge anybody who can to come along and give it a go. It only takes about 30 minutes and you can have a cup of tea and a bikkie afterwards too.''

The service's collection will be at Forum North, Whangarei, today from 10am to 4pm and Wednesday from 12pm to 4pm. It will then be at the Northland Cricket Association, on Okara Drive, from 12pm to 6pm on Thursday and 8am to 12pm on Friday.

As of May 31, there were 2416 active donors in Northland - people who have given blood in the past two years. The number of donors has been decreasing - in 2014 there were 3146 - but this year's figure is up on last year's 2193.

Each person donates an average of 470ml which is separated into red blood cells, platelets, blood clotting factors, plasma, anti-D, immunoglobin, globulins and several pharmaceutical components.

About 2.75 per cent of the processed blood goes to Whangarei Hospital's blood bank - about 3086 units of donated blood in the past year.

People can register to be a donor by calling 0800 448325 or at www.nzblood.co.nz
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