Blood donated during a blood donation clinic in Chatham-Kent (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)Blood donated during a blood donation clinic in Chatham-Kent (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)
London

Thousands Of Blood Donations Needed By Canada Day

Before you leave town for the Canada Day weekend, Canadian Blood Services is urging Londoners to spare some time to roll up their sleeves to save a life.

Blood clinics in Canada are in need of 23,000 blood donors by July 2 to meet the needs of patients in hospitals across the county. London, in particular, has 165 open appointments to fill at the London Blood Donor Clinic, which is located at 820 Wharncliffe Rd.

"We're looking ahead to the summer -- so July -- and we're predicting that we'll need these units of blood to ensure that we're meeting hospital demand for the summer, so you don't have to worry about blood being in the hospitals if you needed it," said Kristen Ungar, the territory manager at Canadian Blood Serves in London. "We don't use the word 'urgent' lightly. When you hear it, it means if you're eligible to donate blood, you should try to get out and give blood."

Ungar said the summer can be a challenging time because blood clinics tend to see a decline in donors.

"A lot of our regular donors who we rely on, go on vacation," she said. "It's crucial that we have new donors coming in the door to make up for those people that are gone."

Ungar said every unit of blood is going to be needed as it takes many donors to save one life.

"Fifty donations could go to one car accident victim. Someone who has leukemia could use eight units of blood per week," said Ungar, and added that donated blood has a short shelf life of only 42 days. "One unit equals one donor. So we need donations all the time."

Anyone who is looking to give blood, especially if you are a new donor, is encouraged to go to the Canadian Blood Services website by clicking here to see if you're eligible.

The London Blood Donor Clinic will run on the following days and times:

  • Friday, June 29 from 9am to 1pm
  • Saturday, June 30 from 9am to 1pm
  • Monday, July 2 from 3pm to 7pm

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