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First-time blood donor Jessica Gwynn is supported by her husband, Ethan Gwynn.
At the Wellington Blood Service’s office in Newtown, a line of people lie around as blood is pumped quietly onto a monitor.
These people are among the first in the world to join a global blood donation campaign to collect a record-breaking 50,000 units of blood in a single day around the world.
This said the NZ Blood Service said more than 38,000 new donors would be needed over the next 12 months to meet the demand for blood and blood products as the pandemic’s ripple effects begin to bite through blood stocks. It’s because
Part of Saturday’s event was to raise awareness of the importance of donating blood, according to co-organizer Mvina Merchant.
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“Due to Covid-19, our blood supply is running low.
One of Wellington’s first blood donors on Saturday was Jessica Gwynn of Silverstream in Upper Hutt, assisted by her recent husband Ethan Gwynn.
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A single blood donation can save up to three lives.
The pair were holding hands when Jessica’s blood was bagged. Jessica said she and Ethan met the merchant at a market earlier this year, who was trying to spread the word about a global blood donation drive and Jessica wondered, “Why?”
The recently tattooed Ethan didn’t meet the detailed eligibility criteria to donate blood, but he attended the occasion with Jessica.
Jessica said the thought of donating was scarier than the event itself. An experienced blood donation staff was guiding donors through the process.
Sarah Field, NZ Blood Services Donor Relations Team Leader, said 83 New Zealanders need blood or blood products for unforeseen emergencies each day.
A single blood donation (approximately 470 milliliters of blood) can save up to three lives as it is divided into red blood cells, plasma and platelets that are used to treat different types of patients.
Blood services require over 4500 weekly appointments to meet ongoing demand.
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Mubina Merchant is president of Who is Hussain, the social justice charity behind the blood drive.
However, with only 4% of the eligible donor population in New Zealand actually donating, any effort to close the gap will help.
Normally Monday through Friday, the Blood Services headquarters in Wellington opened a special Saturday for a global blood donation event organized by the Social Justice Foundation Who Is Hussein, which operates in 90 cities around the world.
Marchant, a local representative of the Who is Hussain group, said events will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch as part of an effort to break the world record for the most blood donated at one time, involving 20 countries and six continents. said it was being done. Day.
Other participating cities include San Francisco, Paris, Hong Kong and Bangalore.
“There is no better way to give back when one person can save three lives,” she said.
