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By Silvia Senna

BLOOD DONATION

“It’s one of the best things that you could do to help someone;” Kamloops blood recipient encourages people to donate

Jan 5, 2024 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Canadian Blood Services is expecting a high demand for the year of 2024 and donations are needed more than ever. Lizzie Harbaruk, a 15-year-old Kamloops resident, is one of the many Canadians who had their lives saved by blood donations.

“I got diagnosed when I was about two years old with a disease. I had to get many blood transfusions and getting all those transfusions just really helped me get better and build up that immune system. Obviously I’m here today because of that,” she said.

Lizzie’s experience has encouraged her parents to become regular blood donors.

“It just kind of occurred to us that we needed to do this on a regular basis and make sure that there was enough supply for, not only kids like our daughter who were receiving treatment, but just for general stock,’ explained Jennifer Harbaruk, Lizzie’s mom.

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The demand for blood donors is higher than ever. According to the Canadian Blood Services, 100,000 new donors are needed each year to keep up with patient demand.

“Right now there is only 2% of eligible donors actually donating. So that means we have a very small amount of committed donors that are donating and we need to ensure that we get lots of new donors and that everybody comes out and donates,” said Niki Randall, Community Development Manager with the Canadian Blood Services.

Every month the Canadian Blood Services set up a blood donor clinic in Kamloops. However, Jennifer sees the need for more than just a monthly clinic.

“Considering how many people come through our center, I think it would be a really great idea to have a center here and make it a more daily routine for people being able to donate. It should be all the time. It can’t just be sporadic clinic times, it should be a constant,” she said.

In the meantime, the most important thing is to donate.

“A lot of people are just waiting for someone to ask them,” said Randall. “So that’s why we say to everyone, if you are eligible please go out and donate. We need you.”

Lizzie hopes to see that number grow, so more people like her can also have a brighter future ahead of them.

“It’s one of the best things that you could do to help someone. It doesn’t take a bunch of time out of your life. It takes ten, 15 minutes and just it’s a little thing that you can do that saves a bunch of people. Just one little thing that you do makes a big difference,” she said.

Anyone who wants to donate blood can book an appointment at blood.ca.