Several blood, plasma, and platelet donors at Birmingham donor centre were surprised with an appropriately coloured rose to mark Valentine’s Day and thank them for their life-saving generosity.
Sisters Debbie Willetts and Tracey Jackson from Dudley donated blood together in Birmingham. Their mother was diagnosed with leukaemia fifteen years ago and received platelet transfusions during treatment.
Although Debbie and Tracey couldn’t give platelets, they instead regularly give blood as their way of giving back for the platelet donations their mum received, marked by being given both a red and yellow rose.
Tracey said: “I was nervous when I gave blood for the first time, but it could not have been easier. The process is very streamlined and in less than an hour I know I have helped someone. It’s a great feeling! I especially like the follow up text that lets you know where your blood has been sent.”
Debbie said: “Since my first donation I’ve never looked back and it’s become a part of my routine. Being a blood donor is a rewarding experience and you feel so proud after knowing you’ve done something important. Birmingham donor centre makes finding an appointment to meet your schedule so easy.”
It had been a year since 31-year-old Kanika Williams from Birmingham last gave blood and she was slightly nervous to get back into the chair, but boyfriend Idriss Assounanou was on hand to join her at the donor centre to provide some moral support and help her to relax during her donation.
Kanika said: “I decided to give blood because I could! Helping people is a very big part of who I am and I’m happy to donate a little bit of my time for a wide-reaching impact.”
Kanika was given a red rose as a gesture of thanks for her life-saving donation – each blood donation can help save or improve up to three lives.
Clair Macdonald, Birmingham donor centre manager at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Birmingham donor centre is the only place in the country where the NHS collects all three components of blood from donors.
“Donors can either give whole blood, plasma, or platelets at the centre, and we recently opened a whole new floor dedicated to plasma collection.
“We’re conveniently located in the city centre on New Street and have a friendly team ready to welcome donors to our bright and modern space where they can access free WiFi and watch TV while they give blood, plasma, or platelets – and then enjoy a free post-donation snack!
“It was lovely to be able to thank some of our donors with a rose to thank them for giving up some of their time to do something amazing and help save lives.”
Led by the NHS Blood and Transplant social media team, this initiative followed on from a call for more under-35s in Birmingham to give blood as the NHS recently revealed that more than half of blood donors in the West Midlands are now aged over 45.
Over-45s make up 52 percent of regular blood donors* in the region compared with 48 percent five years ago. Nationally, older people account for 51 percent of the donor population, having overtaken 17-44-year-olds this year for the first time since 2018.
Meanwhile, the proportion of the youngest donors has shrunk, with only half as many 17-24-year-olds in England giving blood now compared with five years ago**.
- Register as a blood donor and book your first appointment via the GiveBloodNHS app or at www.blood.co.uk. If you can’t find an appointment straight away please book for further in the future. Your blood will still help to save lives then.
- There are only three plasma donation centres in England, including Birmingham, so it’s very important that the NHS makes the city a hotspot for plasma donation. If you’re the giving type, search ‘donate plasma’ and register as a donor at www.blood.co.uk/plasma.
- To donate platelets, donors need to have given blood or platelets before and have A negative, A positive or AB negative blood. Donors must be aged between 17 and 70 and are able to regularly spare up to 2 hours to donate at least 4 times a year at a donor centre. Find out more about platelet donation at www.platelets.blood.co.uk.