More than 6000 sign up to become first-time blood donors

Kiwis thanked for their fantastic support for life-saving campaign supported by the Herald.

Olympians returning directly from Rio will face a four-week blood-donation stand-down because of the city's being in the zone of mosquitoes that carry viruses.

COMMENT: I've certainly met a few mad cows in my time, but from memory I don't think I've ever eaten one.

Because a stranger gave up less than an hour of time, Ella survived a brain tumour.

Suzi Wallis' first experience with blood donation was at birth - she now repays that favour. Dozens of times over.

Lucca Holecliffe had an extremely rare tumour that had grown so big it was more than 10 per cent of the Auckland toddler's body weight.

The letters O and A went missing from signage of NZ's top companies and charities yesterday and around the world in a life-saving bid for blood.

When Geoff Joe's mates gave him grief for tumbling off his mountain bike the last thing he planned on doing was go to hospital - instead he had a beer with his mates.

A charity in memory of Chace Topperwien, the little boy whose brave cancer battle captured the hearts of thousands, is living up to the legacy left by its namesake.

Gill South gets altruistic and donates, not her blood (mad cow issue), but her time to a very good cause.

An investigation is under way after a cancer sufferer was given blood with traces of malaria.

The suspension of 15 striking laboratory workers in the North Island this morning was an attempt to intimidate them, their union says.

The number of new blood donors has slumped by nearly 20 per cent, creating anxiety over the future of the life-saving service.