Canadian Blood Services celebrates National Blood Week with an emphasis on plasma donors
For some donors, the decision to donate blood and plasma is a personal one.
Cyril McFate, 80, said his older brother needs plasma on a regular basis. That paired with his military and political background -- and learning about how important donations are -- has him in the donation chair once a week.
"I was in Europe for five years during the Cold War and you get the feeling of how important it is to actually be there for people," said McFate.
"In politics it was totally different of course. This is where you’re trying to find out what people actually need, how you can supply them with what they need, that sort of thing, so you get a feel for people in general. And to me, it’s really, really important that we can do this."
Officials with Canadian Blood Services said more than 1,500 appointments are needed a month -- including 125 new plasma donors every single month -- to meet the demand in Canada.
"With a community of over 160,000 people, we really need our Sudbury donors to come out," said Teri-Mai Armstrong, business development manager for Canadian Blood Services. "If you’ve never tried it before, come on out and give it a try."
Armstrong said the demand for plasma in Canada is four times the available supply.
"So right now, when we’re collecting plasma it’s going wherever it’s needed across Canada," she said. "We have many recipients right here in Sudbury … that require these life-saving medicines."
On average, men can donate plasma every six days and women every 12.
'It feels great'
"It feels great," said McFate. "It doesn’t hurt. It’s in us to give, so why not give? The way I feel when I’m coming out of here is, when am I coming back?"
Armstrong said plasma products are used for many different life-threatening conditions, including severe burns, immune deficiencies, diseases and cancer.
"The main difference between a blood donation and a plasma donation is the centrifuge and that’s where we were able to extract just the plasma," she said.
"Plasma is a protein-rich fluid in your body that helps the other components of your blood circulate and so basically what it allows us to do is grab a larger amount of plasma and your body recuperates that quite quickly."
With a comfy chair to sit in, friendly staff, and an hour or so to spare, McFate said it’s a good way to give back.
"I think a lot of people think it’s a little bit more difficult than it is," he said. "So we’ve got to get them here and make them understand it’s like a family event really and people really enjoy doing it and it’s very, very worthwhile."
Enhanced public health and safety measures are in place at all donation facilities.
For more information or to book a donation appointment, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.