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On each visit you make, we'll collect just under a pint of your blood. That
comes to a mere 475 ml. (Don't worry, that's not quite an armful. You'll
still have plenty left to keep you going.)
Then your blood will be taken to one of our many blood centres up and down
the country. There the blood will undergo some rigorous tests to make sure
it's clear of things like HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.
That's when we also figure out your blood group too.
Once that's been determined, we do the tricky scientific stuff - separating
the various components, like red cells, plasma and platelets. These produce
the various products needed. Once the blood has been sorted into its different
types, and all the tests are clear, it's then distributed to hospitals to
meet their predicted demand. There your blood is used on whoever needs it
most.
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Because of her Down’s Syndrome, Rebecca cannot have a
bone marrow transplant like other leukaemia sufferers. So blood
donations are literally keeping her alive. Her consultant Dr
Chris Mitchell says, “It is the continuous support of
blood donors that enables hospitals to treat and maintain the
care of their patients. People like Rebecca rely on blood donors
every week of their lives.”
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