Canadian Blood Services needs thousands more donors to roll up their sleeves

Canadian Blood Services is making an urgent call for blood and plasma donors this week as thousands of appointments sit unfilled.

The national organization says it has 150,000 appointments to fill in order to tackle a dwindling inventory of blood and plasma, including many appointments in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Simran Dulay, a manager at the Brampton Plasma Donation Centre, says 3,000 plasma donations are needed each week to meet the needs of Canadian patients, but that's been a challenge lately.

He says many regular donors changed their routines during the pandemic, which is part of why more new donors are needed than usual. There is also a global shortage of plasma but a growing need for treatments involving it, says Dulay.

Plasma makes up the largest portion of your blood and is used to create specialized medications to treat things such as cancer and autoimmune disorders, Dulay says.  It takes many plasma donations to help a single patient.

"It can take upwards of 100 donations to help one recipient, to provide treatment for up to one year," he said.

Canadian Blood Services says their data indicates about one in two people are eligible to donate blood and plasma, but most have not donated.

Donating is easy

Cheryl Liuzza's daughter, Jayden, was just three when she was diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a condition where the immune system attacks certain receptors in the brain.

"She was a shell just lying in a bed in the hospital not doing anything," Jayden's mom told CBC Toronto.

Jayden received immunoglobulin infusions once a month for nine months and is now a thriving teen.

Liuzza spoke about what a difference plasma donations make at an event at the Brampton donation centre. In light of National Blood Donor Week, it and centres like it are holding events to educate the public about how easy it is to donate blood or plasma.

She says education events about donating are critical because most people don't realize how easily they can contribute to saving a life.

"We didn't even know how easy it was to donate until my husband walked in here to donate, told them Jayden's story and then we had a tour ... I was just in awe at how easy it is for someone to come in and donate and how frequently they can do that."

Those interested in donating can call Canadian Blood Services to make an appointment and read about eligibility criteria on its website. Donors who spoke to CBC Toronto said the donation process only took about an hour of their day.

'Why wouldn't you do it?'

For Tracy Kamino, who has a son who depends on plasma donations, the need for more donors is personal too.

She says her son was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and receives multiple bottles containing plasma every month as part of his treatment, something that she says has made all the difference to his health.

"It is really important and we do see the difference once he's received it," said Kamino.

Kamino attended the Brampton donation centre event on Thursday and made her 15th plasma donation.

But her son's treatment, already several years in, takes a lot of Canadians rolling up their sleeves.

"Hundreds of donors are needed to ensure that my son has a high quality of life," she said.

Kamino and her workplace colleagues now make it a team-building activity, coming to donate multiple times a year together.

"If you can save somebody's life or ... make a difference for somebody else, why wouldn't you do it?"