“I started when a family member needed blood, a long time ago,” she said as she finished her 125th donation Thursday during a visit to the Canadian Blood Services Clinic in New Glasgow. “My mother was a long-time donor too.”
Henderson said she was in her early 20s when she started giving blood and that it’s satisfying knowing she’s helping others.
“It helps many people and you never know when you might it yourself,” he said. “The people who come out, the better. It’s nice to see, during the school terms, that young people come out too from the high schools.”
Peter MacDonald, director of donor relations for Atlantic Canada, said the clinics this week in New Glasgow and Pictou had great support, bringing in lots of blood to help compensate for the Labour Day weekend lull.
When regular donors go on vacation during the summer it’s difficult to get the blood needed, he said. CBS relies on a small portion of the population to supply a lot of blood, which make things difficult when those people are unavailable.
Earlier this week, CBS sent out a press release stating that volunteers were needed to fill more than 70 appointments in New Glasgow. Across the country, CBS hoped to fill 25,000 appointments before Labour Day to replenish supplies.
MacDonald said CBS is always looking for more people to donate; out of all Canadians, half are eligible to donate blood, but only one out of every 60 actually do. He’d love to see that number change.
About Canadian Blood Services
• manages the national supply of blood, blood products and stem cells, and related services for all the provinces and territories (excluding Quebec)
• operates an integrated, pan-Canadian service delivery model that includes leading an interprovincial system for organ donation and transplantation
• is regulated as a biologics manufacturer by Health Canada and primarily funded by the provincial and territorial ministries of health
• is a not-for-profit charitable organization
