Editorial: Let your love flow - give some blood

If you were to believe everything you see on television, you might think that the vast majority of donated blood is pumped into patients in emergency rooms and surgeries.
All those dramatisations in popular shows like ER make pulses race as the characters scream for another 12 units of type whatever, but do nothing to reveal what most blood product is used for: treatment of cancer.
People like Clive Barritt, who shares his story today, World Blood Donor Day. As Clive's experience shows, it is impossible to underestimate how important healthy blood is to those battling major illness like leukaemia.
But while the biggest use of blood products, it is by no means the only way your blood can be used to good effect. According to the New Zealand Blood Service, a single donation contributes to the making of over 13 products and just one donation can help save the lives of up to three people.
When you factor in that blood lasts only 35 days, you can understand why there is a constant need to replenish supplies and bring in new donors. Surprisingly, while about 42,000 patients will be treated with blood or blood products in New Zealand each year, only 4 per cent of us currently roll up our sleeves and donate.
I can't actually recall when I first donated. It was at school and the service came to us. Fast-forward several years and something triggered in me and I began what was to be a regular attendance, notching up a good number of collections but still nowhere near as many as others have.
I put aside the initial trepidation over the needle and whether it would hurt - it doesn't, really - and the more times you do it, the easier it becomes.
In any case, the well-trained, considerate and utterly professional staff at the Blood Service are well-versed in putting you at ease.
The rewards of donating are many, and in my mind I liken it to a kind of insurance; I know some time I will need blood so am more than happy to do my bit now so that when my time comes others might step up.
If there is a downside to donation in Wanganui, it is that the service does not have a permanent base, so it is difficult to give blood when it suits you. Then again, waiting for the monthly visits is not too much of an inconvenience when measured against the good you can do.
If you haven't tried it, give it a go. I can recommend the feeling you get having played a part in possibly saving a life. If that doesn't motivate you, perhaps a free biscuit and a cuppa might. See you at the Pioneer Room, Memorial Hall on Tuesday June 28 or Wednesday June 29.
Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz