Parktown Girls High School for Girls learners make a difference

Brave Parktown High School for Girls learners took the plunge and donated blood to the South African National Blood Service on May 11.

Blood donation peer promotor and learner, Gemma Kerr said her role was to encourage learners to donate blood.
Gemma added she started donating blood at the age of 16 and that decision was influenced by her family members who also donated from age 16.

“We also help with organisation and help the girls fill in the necessary forms before the process. First-time donors are usually nervous and we also keep them calm and tell them about our positive first-time experiences, fan them if they feel faint, and help them open their snacks while nurses focus on drawing blood from learners.”
The Parktown learners donated 44 units of blood.

The blood service continues to urge the eligible public to donate and spare 30 minutes of their time to give the gift of life and help stabilise blood stock levels by visiting their nearest sites or mobile drives. The service needs to maintain a blood stock of five days for each blood group to ensure sustained availability for patients in need.

The Parktown learners donated 44 units of blood and the blood service aims to collect 3 000 units per day to ensure a safe and sufficient blood supply in the health care system.

Related article: SANBS urgently needs blood donors to step forward

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