Your Blood May Save A life

Chronicle (Levin), 11 December 1948, Page 4

Your Blood May Save A life

t A woman lay in hospital dying*. She had been seriously mjured m a car accident. Only a blood transfusion could save ler life. But there was no blood in the bank at the hospital. Hurriedly two-thirds of a pint of blood was taken from a lurse whose blood typ^ was the same as the patient's. A life vas saved.

This is no top line news story. It is but part of the human drama which is enacted daily at every hospital. But nurses alone cannot keep such a humane service in smooth operation. To ensure that the blood banks are kept well stQcked, the 'hospitals rely on the co-operation of 'blood donors who regularly come forward -from all jsections of the community. The operation is simple and quick. It does the donors no harm; in fact it does them good/ Numerous,. operations are being undertaken daily today which would never have been' attempted prior to the advent of the blood transfusion service and the use of blood plasma. Many of them are having' remarkable results. Nobody's blood is useless and, .according to a medical authority, a person could lose eight times the amount asked for and still survive. • On Tuesday night from 7 p.m. onwards those persons willing to donate bloo-d can do so by calling' at the District Nurse's Rooffis in Oxford Stree't. In the past many have- answered the call. but many more donors are needed. They can make an appointment by contact-

ing either Mr. H. L. Jenkins or Mr. R. H. Long. Recently amidst the heat,, noise and smell of an Auckland tannery more than 20 of the employees donated blood. Each man left his work for about 15 minutes and went to a shed. Some were wearing gum boots, shorts and greasestained aprons. The manager gave blood, and so also did many apprentices. For most of them it was the second time, for the tannery was last visited in May. A district man aged 76 was a donor at the ' Palmerston North hospital recently. He left his name in case of further calls. Another man is being kept alive by paying periodical visits to the Palmerston North Hospital, where he is given a transfusion. If he can. be kept alive and given the chance to do what he is doing — living an otherwise ' normal life, surely it is worth the sacrifice of a pint of Someone's blood. With the approach of the Christmas holidays and probable road accidents, it is neceisary that these banks be kept full. One never 'knows- whose life will be saved. It might be your wife's or your child's . . .