Written by Courtney Ford
One blood donation can save up to THREE lives. By taking just 15 minutes out of your day, you could make an extreme impact for people in need across Australia. As the Resident’s Association Wagga Wagga (RAW) 2025 blood drive coordinator and a passionate, frequent donor here’s why I am a HUGE advocate for donating blood!
To give some context, here are some of the top reasons and fun facts about donating blood and plasma!
- There are five litres of blood in the human body and for a blood donation you’re only giving up 500mls
- Only 1 in 30 Australians give blood
- Australia needs more than 25,000 donations every week
- 1 in 3 Aussies will need blood products at some point in their life
- Every drop of blood contains roughly between 200-300 million red blood cells
- Plasma can be made into 18 different life-giving treatments
- The biggest use of blood in Australia is for cancer and blood diseases
As someone who is a regular donor and looks forward to every donation here is my reasoning. I was inspired to start my donation journey by my dad, who at my age religiously gave blood.
I was motivated to follow in his footsteps, to give back to others, and feel close to him. As a frequent donor and RAW’s 2025 blood drive coordinator, I aspire to motivate and encourage others to donate and give back to those in need. I urge everyone to be that inspiration for people in their life.
To grab a mate or two and encourage them to start donating as well. There is no better feeling than after a donation. Taking a small amount of time out of your day to help others, is something to feel pretty good about. The best part about donating blood or plasma is definitely the milkshake and the snacks they provide to you after.
My top tips for donating:
- Wear something comfy! My favourite is anything cozy like an oversized hoodie and adding the crocs and socks combo.
- Take your air pods! If you’re donating plasma, need a distraction or just like keeping to yourself, nothing better than listening to a podcast or your favourite playlist.
- Stay hydrated! Take your favourite water bottle out, keep it on you all day, before, during and after your donation.
- Take a friend! My favourite way to donate is with a friend, someone to carpool with, someone to chat to, someone to snack with afterwards, it makes the whole experience even better.
I urge you all to go out and book a donation today! I can guarantee that it’s not as scary as it sounds, and the feeling afterwards is well worth it. Be the reason someone gets the treatment they need, you never know when it might be you or someone close to you. Try something new and start donating!
Learn more at www.lifeblood.com.au
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
