Ipswich-born Flight Lieutenant Tanya Carter knows the value of donating blood.
“My amazing mum, who turns 80 in early October and is a cancer survivor of non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is no longer able to donate her rare O-negative blood,” Flight Lieutenant Carter said.
“I make the time to donate because my mum no longer can.”
The RAAF Amberley-based aviator from 464 Squadron is a regular blood and plasma donor at the Ipswich donor centre and hopes to motivate as many of her ADF colleagues as possible to donate to the Defence Blood Drive.
“The more the merrier,” she said.
“Whether you’ve been giving blood for years or you have never donated, get involved, do it for the community, every drop counts.”
It takes just 470ml of blood to save three lives, and with this year’s Defence Blood Drive aiming to surpass the 11,000 donations from last year’s drive, the call has gone out for ADF members and the general public to roll up their sleeves.
The community can get involved and pledge donations to a particular service.
“The friendly team at Lifeblood make it really easy and once you are registered, the team will contact you regularly, send you reminders and do everything to facilitate a seamless donation,” Flight Lieutenant Carter said.
Most people know someone who has benefitted from a blood donation, whether they were patients going through cancer treatments, a difficult pregnancy or even an emergency caused by an accident.
The number of uses for donated blood means Lifeblood needs 33,000 donations each week to meet demand, with 18,000 of those being plasma.
Plasma donations are vital and used to create 18 different treatments for more than 50 medical conditions, including immune disorders.
“When you give blood, you’re more than just a donor – you’re the Lifeblood of Australia,” Flight Lieutenant Carter said.
ADF members and the public are encouraged to book an appointment with Lifeblood to make a life-saving donation, with whole blood able to be donated every 12 weeks.
“I am fortunate to be fit and healthy at 51 and will continue to donate as often as I can and as long as Red Cross Lifeblood allows,” Flight Lieutenant Carter said.
To donate you need to be between 18 and 75 years old and pass the Lifeblood eligibility quiz.
The Defence Blood Drive runs until December 8.
Visit Lifeblood to register.
