“It’s only when it’s missing that you notice it” is the motto of the blood donation campaign on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 6th and 7th, in Osterholz-Scharmbeck. Between 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., the German Red Cross is asking people to donate blood in the cultural center at Gut Sandbeck “as an exception,” as it says in a press release. As a reward for the donors, the support team led by Birgit and Hannes Tietjen have come up with something special: every donor will receive an ice cream from the Eiscafé Cortina.
The background to the blood donation campaign is, however, a serious one. Markus Baulke, spokesman for the German Red Cross blood donation service, which is responsible for Lower Saxony, among other areas, is watching the current number of donors with concern. “In recent weeks, the willingness to donate at blood donation appointments in Lower Saxony and Bremen has been around ten percent below the demand,” says Baulke. The supply of blood products is therefore continually approaching a “critical level” in which a supply shortage could occur. The German Red Cross is therefore appealing to people to donate blood.
Cancer patients depend on donations
According to the Red Cross, cancer patients are particularly dependent on solidarity blood donations. Each donation is separated into its three essential components: platelets, erythrocytes and blood plasma. This means that one blood donation can provide three patients with vital blood products during therapy or in acute emergencies. According to the German Red Cross, around 15,000 blood donations are needed in Germany every day.
In principle, any healthy adult aged 18 or over can donate blood, writes the Red Cross. Donating is easy and generally well tolerated. A free health check by a doctor is also included. Donors should feel fit and healthy and bring a valid ID card or passport. Further dates and detailed information on blood donation can be found at www.blutspende-leben.de.
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