MUHC staff roll up their sleeves to donate blood
Last April 20, Héma-Québec’s Mobile Donation Blood Unit, Globule, parked outside the Montreal General Hospital of the McGIll University Health Centre (MGH-MUHC) to welcome hospital staff ready to give blood.
Organizers expected some 50 people to show up. According to Steve Bernier, supervisor at Héma-Québec, every day 1,000 donations are needed throughout Quebec to keep pace with the demand. Here are a few of the generous MGH employees who donated blood on that day:
“This is my 20th time, but I’ve tried 200 times. You must have your hemoglobin level checked, and if it’s low, you can’t give blood. We all have blood to give, and there are a lot of people who need our donation.” – Lisa Wadup, clinical research coordinator, Neurology.
“I think it’s absolutely important to give blood. Potentially, it can save someone’s life. This is my first time. I thought about it this morning, and when my colleague Lisa said she was going to give blood today, I decided to come, too. The experience was very pleasant; I had Lisa next to me. It helps to bring a friend.” – Nia Tsatas, laboratory supervisor, Center for Research in Neuroscience.
“I work at the Glen and when I saw the ad, I hopped on the shuttle and came to the MGH to donate. I donated blood a few times in my home country, Brazil. When I arrived in Canada, I was at a shopping centre and I saw a Héma-Québec blood drive, so I decided to do it on the spot. This is my fifth donation.” – Ana Beatriz Toledo Dias, research assistant, Ocular Pathology laboratory.
Did you know? June 14 is World Blood Donor Day
Each year, some 500,000 blood products are delivered to Québec hospitals to meet the needs of sick patients. One blood donation can save several lives, and a donor can give blood every 56 days or six times a year. Only three per cent of eligible Quebecers, however, make a blood donation every year. (Source: Héma-Québec)