It’s the biggest ask Canadian Blood Services has made to date: one million new donors over the next five years. “At first I was like really scared going in here, but as soon as I got down and settled, I was fine,” said Sizy Valdez, who was donating for the first time on Tuesday. She was there alongside several of her classmates from Bernice MacNaughton High School in Moncton who stepped up to the plate to donate. The hope was by going as a group it would start a life-long commitment while they were still in their teenage years. “The first time that I donated I was talking with one of my nurses and she said during COVID the donor percentage went from 4 per cent to 2 per cent and that students are a big part of that,” said Stanley DiPaolo, who was on his fourth donation. “She told me that when you start donating, you’re kind of set to keep donating for life and that was like almost two years ago and I’m still thinking about it and it was kind of my motivator.” DiPaolo is the student ambassador for the high school and says what started as just seven students donating regularly is now up to 22. “I want to save as many lives as I can in my life and if I’m just sitting in a chair for an hour, eating chips and drinking a juice box, it’s a good way to save a life,” he said. In an effort to get more Canadians “off the sidelines” and donating regularly, Canadian Blood Services is shifting the focus with its new campaign Who’s Saving Who. It hopes to highlight what a donor gets when they give instead of just focusing on the patient receiving the blood. “It feels good, like I feel like I’m doing something right,” said Jenny Trites. Tuesday marked her second donation, but she’s known for a long time how important it is to give back. “It’s someone’s entire life. Like something that’s just a few minutes is someone’s whole life and the people that are getting the blood it’s like they’re someone’s child, they’re a parent, they’re someone, so I think it’s important,” she said. “My father got into a really bad motorcycle accident when he was young and almost lost his leg so he needed a lot of blood, so I think that’s really important and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the donations of others.” As of Tuesday, officials say only two per cent of eligible Canadians are donating, a number they say isn’t sustainable for the future needs of the health-care system. “That represents less than 400,000 Canadians in a country that has 40 million people. In the next five years the need for blood is expected to increase by about 10 per cent and the need for immunoglobulins, which is from plasma, will grow to about 50 per cent,” said Brandy Peters, the community development manager for Canadian Blood Services in New Brunswick. A recent survey found that 71 per cent of Canadians believe donating blood or plasma is one of the most meaningful ways that people can give back. Peters says this newest campaign is focused on encouraging people to just take that next step. “There’s a lot of people that have expressed interest in donating and they know it’s important, but it’s about taking that first step,” she said. “Donating blood is safe and it doesn’t take a lot of time. The actual process itself is less than 10 minutes once the needle is inserted into the arm. So from start to finish it’s under an hour to save lives.” She adds it has to be a collective effort across Canada if they’re going to meet their latest goal. “We know that Canadians feel a sense of pride and identity as blood donors,” she said. “They don’t see themselves as people who should donate, they see themselves as donor and there’s a sense of great pride in that. So we really want to encourage more people to come see what you get when you give.” Hundreds of appointments are available throughout Canada and the Maritimes. People interested in donating are encouraged to go to blood.ca to check eligibility and book an appoint to roll up their sleeves. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
