So Misguided

You may have seen it in the Globe and Mail or heard about it on the tv or radio, this week (June 9-14) was National Blood Donor week.

Canadian Blood Services, the national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in Canada (except for Quebec), is running a campaign called “Because”. It’s purpose is to encourage people to donate blood, but also valuable platelets and plasma.

I like that the campaign ties the process of giving blood to the process of receiving it. Part of the campaign portrays blood recipients thanking the donors who have improved or even saved their lives.

Thankyourdonor.ca is a place where recipients can share their stories, photographs and videos about how receiving blood or blood products made a difference in their life.

From Canadian Blood Services:

Since blood donation is an anonymous gift, recipients normally have little opportunity to thank the people who may have saved their lives. “It is such a moving experience when recipients visit blood donor clinics to share their stories and thank donors for their generosity,” says Steve Harding, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at Canadian Blood Services. “With this social media initiative, we are trying replicate that experience on a wider scale so that more donors can witness first-hand the power of their donation.”

Personal stories can have a powerful impact on people’s motivations to donate. It can come across as a cheesy, overt play on emotions, or it can be a true heartfelt story from donors and recipients.

I like this video. It’s informational and personal.

Do you have a story to tell?

ThankYourDonor.com or YouTube.com/thankyourdonor or post comments here.

Have you given blood before? Do you regularly donate?

Have you ever received blood? I don’t know if I know anyone who’s received blood. Have you received blood?

My daughter is 1 year old, and has already had 7 blood transfusions. She has a blood disorder called Hereditary Spherocytosis - her red blood cells are shaped differently than normal red blood cells, and the spleen destroys them faster than her body can produce them. She will be having her spleen removed when she’s 2 to ‘correct’ the problem. In the meantime she relies on blood donors to save her life. Our story is included on the thank your donor website - thanks so much for writing about this and bringing awareness to the need for blood donors.

Thanks for posting your story Michelle. I appreciate the frankness and have a hard time ignoring the realities of life for people like your daughter who are in need of donors. I’m happy to keep writing about this story and bringing awareness to the cause. All the best to you and your daughter.

Hello, I am working on behalf of the Thank Your Donor campaign and I just wanted to extend our gratitude towards you for posting about this fantastic project. Also sincere thanks to you Michelle, for sharing your daughters story.