Geoff Joe ruptured his kidney in a mountain bike accident and needed 10 litres of blood to save his life. Photo / Nick Reed
Geoff Joe ruptured his kidney in a mountain bike accident and needed 10 litres of blood to save his life. Photo / Nick Reed
When Geoff Joe's mates gave him grief for tumbling off his mountain bike the last thing he planned on doing was going to hospital - instead he had a beer with his mates.
Little did the then 19-year-old student know his kidney was ruptured, endangering his life.
But today Mr Joe is in good health, thanks in large part to the 65 strangers who donated the combined 10 litres of blood that helped save his life.
"I went over the handlebars, the handlebars twisted and came between my kidney and the pavement."
Mr Joe was knocked out for a bit and had some abdominal pain, but thought little of it when he headed back for a few drinks with his mates.
It wasn't until his father found him resting at home later that evening that he was taken to hospital.
"The last thing I remember, I was lying on a hospital bed, going into an x-ray machine."
Five days later Mr Joe woke from his drug-induced coma to be told he had ruptured his kidney, cut his spleen and had been given a huge blood transfusion.
Mr Joe was just one of the 134 other people that day who had needed a potentially life-saving transfusion.
NZ Blood Service CEO Sam Cliffe said annually more than 48,000 people need some form of blood product, but only 4 per cent of those eligible were currently donating. "We need more, because the demand is going up year-in, year-out."
Ms Cliffe said giving blood took only a little bit of time.
Firefighter and father-to-be Kenton Rusbridge is one of those who regularly gives to the NZ Blood Service.
Firefighter Kenton Rusbridge consistently gives blood when he can. Photo / Nick Reed
Every second month for the past five or so years he has taken an hour of his day to give blood or plasma.
"I've always figured it was an easy thing to do to help others."
But without him and the other 109,000 donors on the service database, the outcomes for patients like Mr Joe would be quite different.
"I realised the 65 donors helped save my life," Mr Joe said.
Since his accident Mr Joe, now 29, has graduated from Massey University and has taken time out to return the favour by becoming a donor himself.
The numbers
• 135 people a day are in need of blood products • 28,000 new donors needed every year • 1 donation can save three lives
