The Canadian Blood Services (CBS) Winnipeg Donation Centre will require 1,500 appointments to fill in the month of November — and of those, the hope is to attract 174 new donors.
Rayna Porter, community development coordinator at the Winnipeg Donation Centre, says, “A lot of people self-select out, assuming they aren’t eligible, but in fact, 50 per cent of the population is eligible, but only two per cent actually donate.” Porter encourages everyone to check their eligibility, as restrictions and requirements are always changing and updating
To meet increasing demand, CBS requires 100,000 new donors each year, as it takes many donors to save a patient’s life. Five donors are needed for someone who needs heart surgery, 50 donors to save a person seriously hurt in a car crash, and eight donors a week are needed to help someone going through leukemia treatment.
