Over 100 people rolled up their sleeves at a blood drive held on campus last week.
Partnering with Canadian Blood Services and Stem Cell One Match to recruit students and staff to donate blood, the Lifeline—UTM Blood and Stem Society hosted a two-day blood drive in the Student Centre Presentation Room.
“In terms of last year, we had 125 people come out in one semester, and that helped 318 patients,” said Lifeline co-president Sonu Solanki in an interview with The Medium.
According to Sonu Solanki, students who did not participate in the blood drive last week still have the chance to give blood by making an appointment with Canadian Blood Services. Aside from donating blood, there are other ways in which students can support the cause.
“One of the first times I tried to [donate blood] in my first year, I wasn’t able to donate just because I was anemic,” said Solanki. “If people can’t donate themselves, I think spreading the word and raising awareness by letting people know [about the drive] […] is helpful.”
“I’ve been donating blood since 2009,” said third-year history student Kimberly Kingston, who gave blood. “Some of my family members carry leukemia, and as a child, I myself needed a blood transfusion.”
According to Canadian Blood Services, “About 100,000 new donors are needed every year to meet demand”.
