Many Victorians will be taking a well-earned break this festive season.
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Unfortunately, the Red Cross Blood Service doesn’t get the same luxury.
As the rest of us are busy with end-of-year sales, packing for summer holidays and enjoying some R&R, Victoria’s cancer patients, new mums and victims of car accidents still need life-saving blood products as much as ever.
One in three of us will need a blood product at some point in our lives, but only one in 30 Australians currently donate blood.
I’m sure everyone reading this knows someone who’s urgently needed it.
The Blood Service collects about 25,000 donations from fantastic volunteers across Australia every week.
But between Christmas and the New Year, donation levels drop.
About 1 in 4 people forget about appointments they’ve booked, or cancel at the last minute, and it results in a shortage of up to 4500 donations less than we need across the country.
And there are people in hospital wards who desperately need these donations.
It’s someone’s brother fighting for life after a car accident, someone’s brand new child who needs a helping hand to come safely into the world, someone’s mum fighting leukaemia.
Victoria has a fantastic record when it comes to blood donation.
Not only was Melbourne the birthplace of the Red Cross Blood Service, but our state was home to 28 per cent of Australia’s new blood donors last year.
This makes Victoria the fastest-growing donor state in the country.
To our existing blood donors – thank you so much, and please don’t forget to book an appointment over the next few weeks.
To those who haven’t donated before, please consider checking if you’re eligible and giving just an hour of your time to save as many as three lives - there’s even a free snack in it for you at the end.
And to those who are working tirelessly at donor centres taking donations, testing blood in labs or giving it to patients in hospitals across the state, thank you for everything you do.
So please, Victoria - between the beach trips and family gatherings and New Year celebrations, roll up your sleeves, and help the Red Cross Blood Service give the best gift of all.
To give blood, call 13 14 95 or visit www.donateblood.com.au to find out where you can donate blood in your area.
Jenny Mikakos is the Victorian Minister for Health
