LUKE Halcro said he was a little nervous about donating blood for the first time.
"The unknown aspect was a little bit daunting, not not knowing how I was going to feel afterwards ... but I was just happy to help," he said.
Mr Halcro's first-time donation came as the Australian Red Cross Blood Service launched an appeal for people with O-Negative and O-Positive blood types to give, as the national supply dwindles to just two days' worth of donated blood.
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is calling for more donations as the flu season approaches. Photo: Supplied
Red Cross Blood Service spokesman Shaun Inguanzo said they needed 8000 donors to help in the two weeks between May 22 and June 2 to avoid a shortage that historically coincided with the winter flu season.
"The number of people suffering cold and flu symptoms increases, limiting the number of regular donors who are able to give," he said.
"We need others – in this case people with O-Negative and O-Positive blood – to take the place of those who will be unable to answer our call." Mr Inguanzo said these two blood types are essential.
"O-Negative is the universal type given to patients in emergency situations," he said.
- "And O-Positive is the type that 39 per cent of Australians have – and therefore the most type needed – should they require a blood transfusion.
"With one in three of us needing donated blood in our lifetime the life you save could be that of friend or family member."
Mr Halcro said he was inspired to donate by his friend Jessica Lydiard, whose father requires regular transfusions of both red blood cells and platelets.
"I guess I just wanted to show her my support and that was the only way I was able to show my support, given what her dad is going through, so I went along with a friend and gave blood," Mr Halcro said.
Mrs Lydiard's O-Positive father, who has been a regular donor throughout his life, has a chronic blood disorder, which she said had become acute in recent days.
On Sunday, his platelet levels were "dangerously low", but a shortage of O-Positive platelets at his Gold Coast hospital meant the family had an anxious six-hour wait for the donated platelets to arrive from Brisbane.
It prompted Mrs Lydiard to appeal for people to donate blood in a Facebook post that has since been shared more than 70 times.
"Each time it was shared, I was inundated with private messages from people I haven't yet met," she said.
"It was a pretty overwhelming response, everyone was very generous, and I had strangers contacting me, and friends of friends who I don't know. It was really heartwarming."
Mrs Lydiard said it was "awful" to have to wait for her father's transfusion, so she was "very impressed by people's willingness to help".
"I even had long-distance friends offering to drive and fly to the Gold Coast to donate which is so generous," she said.
"But they were encouraged to donate locally, as the shortage is national and dad is one of many in need."
Despite being nervous about donating to start with, Mr Halco said it all worked out well in the end.
So well, in fact, he has already signed up to donate again..
"I didn't really feel any ill effects at all, the blood bank was supportive and gave me some food," he said.
"The million dollar question was when I was going to come back, so I signed up to be a regular - I'm booked in again for August."
Mr Halco said it was also great to receive a text message from the Red Cross, telling him his blood had already been put to use.
"The Red Cross sent me a text just last week explaining that my blood had been transported to the Gold Coast Hospital to save lives there, so that was cool to hear that it was of some significance short term," he said.
From Brisbane Times
