The "Friends of the Blood Bank" Organization continues to arrange to collect lifesaving blood. The organization recently organized collection drives at the Securities Commission and J.S. Johnson, to allow staff at the organizations to donate blood throughout the day. Basil Christie, director of the organization says he is pleased that local companies and offices are contacting them to host blood drives, and made an appeal to businesses, service clubs, fraternities and civic groups to contact the "Friends of the Blood Bank" on Facebook or the Blood Bank to make arrangements. Giving blood is not only beneficial to the patient receiving the blood but is healthy for the donor as well.

The benefits of giving blood include reducing the risk of cancer, as giving blood balances a person's iron and reduces excess iron stores and iron in the body. It also burns calories. A person can burn through approximately 650 calories per donation of one pint of blood. A person can also achieve better health by reducing their blood viscosity by donating blood on a regular basis. Blood donation reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Friends of the Blood Bank say replenishing blood is also good for the body.

Upon donation, a person receives a free blood analysis as they're tested for diseases such as syphilis, HIV and hepatitis. Donors also get a mini physical, as prior to their donations temperature is checked along with blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin. The donor also gets to relax for an hour as they make their donation. Approximately 9,000 pints of blood was required last year; just over 4,000 were collected, and a good portion of them were rejected, and not fit for use by patients. "The Blood Bank at the Princess Margaret Hospital [PMH] is always short of an adequate supply of blood, however, if more groups hosted these blood drives many more lives would be saved," said Christie.

"People are willing to give, and appreciate the value of donating blood, but they are not prepared to go through the inconvenience of going to the PMH." Christie has been donating blood since 1967. He feels that every pint he donates saves a life, and that the greatest gift a person can give is of himself -- his own blood. It is his dream that every eligible person in the community volunteers to donate at least two pints a year. The goals of Friends of the Blood Bank are to educate the public on the need for and value of donating blood and to collect blood from the corporate community by taking the blood mobile to offices and institutions.

"It is a wonderful feeling being able to help doctors save lives," said Christie. "You save a life or potentially three lives with every pint that you donate."

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