Father’s Day spoils at Newcastle Blood Donor Centre

Newcastillians played their part in saving lives when they spared a moment of their time to donate blood on Saturday (June 16).

As part of National Blood Donor Month, as well as a Father’s Day promotion, donors received a token of appreciation of either a cellphone speaker or a USB portable cellphone charger.

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Aside from these gifts, each donor also received a free voucher for coffee at Wimpy.

Staff went above and beyond to ensure each donor felt comfortable before putting on their invisible capes, and helping to save at least three people with each donation.

The next big SANBS promotion will be The Big Bleed, which is scheduled for June 21 at the Newcastle Donor Centre, at the Newcastle Mall from 9am to 6pm.

Donor Relations Practitioner, Shavani Sewpaul encouraged more Newcastillians to become regular donors and help alleviate the blood shortage crisis in the country at the moment.

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The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) relies on its volunteer blood donors to meet the demand for blood, which is especially relevant with childbirth complications, accident victims and for terminally ill patients.

To become a blood donor you need to meet the following criteria:

• Be between the ages of 16 and 65 years,
• Weigh a minimum of 50kgs,
• Be in general good health,
• Live a safe lifestyle, and
• Have had a good meal within four hours before donating.

For more information about how you can become a blood donor, visit the Newcastle SANBS offices at Newcastle Mall, or contact SANBS on 0800 11 90 31.

You can also visit their website, www.sanbs.org.za

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