Give blood and give the gift

of life this Christmas

Ahead of the busy Christmas season, Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch MP is urging potential blood donors across the Central Coast to roll up their sleeves and give blood to help people in need.

13 December 2023

 

LIESL TESCH, who recently became a first-time donor at the Gosford Donor Centre, describes how quick and easy it is to donate blood.

 

“Many Coasties will be daydreaming about the kinds of gifts they will be unwrapping on Christmas morning. But for plenty of others in the community, the gift of life will be at the top of their wish list," she said.

 

“The year is not over yet, and there’s still time to change more lives, or to change lives for the first time, through the simple act of giving blood."

 

Ms Tesch said that donating blood is one way to play a key role in giving life.

 

“Donating blood only takes about an hour out of your day…that’s around ten minutes to donate and an hour to meet with a friendly staff member and sit down afterwards with a free snack and a drink.

 

“For those who are nervous about donating for the first time, the lovely team will walk you through the entire process, with a yummy snack waiting at the end of the donation process.”

 

Donated red blood cells help people with cancer and blood diseases, anaemia and other needs, fractures and joint replacements, heart, organ and other non-orthopaedic surgeries, road incidents, pregnant women, new mothers and young children, and more.

 

“I encourage Coasties to pull up their sleeves and get along to the Gosford Donor Centre, or other donor centre sites on the Central Coast,” Ms Tesch said.

 

Gosford Donor Centre is at 69 Central Coast Highway in Riverside Park, behind KFC in West Gosford. The full list of donation centres can be found at Find a donor centre near you | Lifeblood.

 

“Red blood cells only last 42 days from when they are donated. Australia needs over 1.7 million donations every year to meet demand: that is three every minute.”

 

Central Coast resident Gary Jackson, whose blood donations total 393, describes donating blood as something he does to benefit the wider community.

 

“I started with approximately 125 whole blood donations. I did some platelet donations for a while," Mr Jackson said.

 

"The rest are plasma donations. For me, donating blood is a community service. There is always someone in hospital that needs some form of blood products. For as long as I am healthy, I'll be giving blood."

 

Mr Jackson has been donating blood since he was in high school.

 

“I originally started donating when I was at Gosford High School in 1979. The blood bank was just across the road, and we were encouraged by the school to donate. I have been donating ever since," he said.

 

“I would encourage anyone thinking about donating to pop into your local Life Blood centre and give it a go.

 

“Donating blood doesn't take long. Generally, that’s about one to two hours depending on the type of donation you are making. There are refreshments after the donation, a cup of tea or a milk shake and something to eat.”

 

Leading up to Christmas, giving blood makes a life-changing gift idea:

 

• Help a child fight cancer – Every year, around a third of all donated red blood cells and nearly two thirds of all platelets go towards cancer treatment.

 

• Help find rare blood types – The more common blood types are A, B and O. But some recipients’ blood types are so rare that it is found in just 1 in every 10,000 people. For those donating for the first time, their blood donation could be the rare type a recipient is waiting for.

 

• Protect someone from disease – Blood is made up of three key components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. In recent years, demand for plasma has steadily grown, especially in the treatment of immune conditions.

 

• Give someone a second chance – Every day, blood donations play a life-saving role in the treatment of people who have experienced severe trauma. During surgery or in an emergency, blood loss can be fatal. Medical professionals always have a well-stocked supply of blood on hand to provide transfusions when needed.

 

Prospective donors are encouraged to make an appointment in advance at Make a blood donation | Lifeblood.