WITH life saving blood stocks across KwaZulu-Natal running low, Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School has stepped in to lend a helping hand. The school will be hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, 29 March between 9am and 5pm. The Grade 11 learners have set a goal of 100 pints of blood to be collected on the day. According to the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) the province has dropped to below two days supply. Dennis Ngongoma, public relations officer at the service, appealed to the public to come out and donate blood and save a life.
“We are very excited the school approached us, especially because our blood stocks are so low. Our donor centre in Kensington Square is not doing well currently, so we’d love to have more partnerships like this particular one with local schools in the area, Caitlin Slade, one of the learners, came to me with the idea and I was delighted to help.
“The greatest need for blood is for patients who are terminally ill and rely on daily, if not weekly transfusions for their survival. We need more donors from all blood groups and types,” he said. “By donating blood the iron stores in the body are maintained at healthy levels. And the reduction in iron levels in the body is linked with low cancer risk. The importance of donated blood is that each unit of blood can be separated into it’s various components – red cells, plasma and platelets – and given to patients with different needs.”
Slade – who is also head of services at the school – said she hoped the North Durban community would come out and support the school’s blood drive.
“My mom and dad are frequent supporters of the SANBS and have always donated blood, they set the example for me. When I proposed the idea it was to encourage as many people involved as possible. I’ve been donating since I was 16 and I’ve donated every three months since then. Blood saves lives and it is our responsibility to support the SANBS with their clinics,” Slade said.
