The National Blood Service
The Anthony Nolan Trust
The British Bone Marrow Register
We’ve all heard of them, seen the advertisements, and laughed at Tony Hancock’s horror when he exclaimed ‘That’s nearly an armful!’.
It is only when someone you love falls ill or has a major accident that you begin to appreciate just what a vital role these organisations perform in saving lives. And they rely totally on willing volunteers.
Firstly, blood donors who go along to the regular clinics to donate some of their own blood, so that when a patient in hospital needs a transfusion the fluid they need is only a phone call away.
Most of us probably think of blood transfusions being needed following accidents or during surgery, to replace blood lost due to bleeding. However, for many people with blood disorders which affect their own ability to produce normal blood cells, regular transfusions are essential to enable them to lead a normal life.
Just as important, but perhaps less well-known, are the registers of people who are willing to be bone-marrow donors.
By registering with either the Anthony Nolan Trust or the British Bone Marrow Register the tissue-type details of volunteers are added to a world-wide data-base. When a patient is in need of a bone-marrow transplant the data-base is searched to see if a match can be found. By volunteering for this register you may be able to save the life of your next-door neighbour, or someone in almost any part of the world – it truly is global.
People in our own community have been recipients of emergency transfusions, some rely on regular transfusions, or have been the recipients of bone marrow transplants. Other will undoubtedly need them in the future, maybe it will be you………
If you are in good health and aged between 18 and 40 (or 65 for blood donors), please
DO SOMETHING AMAZING
The National Blood Service
The National Blood Service holds regular donor sessions at Beverley Racecourse and other locations in the area. Contact
08457 711711 or their
website for details of dates (just key in your postcode).
Blood is needed for treating a variety of illnesses and conditions - not just for accidents and emergencies. Even for some whose illness has no cure, a blood transfusion can help to improve the quality of their life or give precious extra time. The NBS needs to collect up to 7,000 units every day to make sure that patients in hospitals across England and north Wales are able to receive the life saving treatments they require. This means a total of almost two million donations each year are required to meet the ongoing demand for blood.
Each year the NBS requires a staggering 249,000 blood donations across Yorkshire alone.
If you are aged between 18 – 65 years of age, in general good health and weigh over 7st 12lbs you could support the campaign, just call the Donor Helpline to make your appointment to donate blood and help save someone’s life. There is now no upper age limit for blood donors so long as they meet the other criteria for donating, and have given blood within the last two years.
You can find out more about the British Bone Marrow Register at blood donation sessions or through the same contacts as above.
The Anthony Nolan Trust
The Anthony Nolan Trust can be contacted on 020 7284 8226 or their
website