Fifty- and 100-time blood donors honoured
Two local people who have donated blood 100 times were among those honoured when the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) held their annual Gold Drop and Porcelain Pelican Awards Ceremony for the North-East Midlands region on May 26 in the Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells.
Ninety 50-time donors received their Gold Drops and 20 100-time donors received their Porcelain Pelicans at the ceremony.
Donors and their guests attended from counties Westmeath, Longford, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Offaly, Kildare, Leitrim, Roscommon and North County Dublin.
Iosif Korpas, area manager for the Ardee Centre, was MC for the ceremony and welcomed everyone including board members of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, and congratulated all the donors on their achievements.
Chairperson of the board, Deirdre Ann Barr, performed the opening address and thanked donors, stating that donating 50 times is quite an achievement but donating 100 times is awe inspiring.
It was noted that the Ardee Centre hosted the highest number of 100-time donor awards to date. “It is lovely to personally meet the donors,” she said, as she presented each of the 50-time donors with their Gold Drop awards and the Porcelain Pelicans to the 100-time donors.
Emma Gilbey spoke on behalf of her husband Robert and herself, and thanked all the donors present. Emma received blood before and throughout the four hours of emergency surgery that followed during the birth of her son Charlie 12 years ago. Charlie also took to the podium and thanked donors for saving his mother’s life, and brought the crowd to a standing ovation.
Orla O’Brien, IBTS chief executive, delivered the closing address. She thanked all the donors on their fantastic accomplishment of donating 50 and 100 times. That requires significant dedication and they are truly inspiring, she said.
She thanked the local voluntary organisers, the Red Cross, the Order of Malta, Na Cailíní in Ballybay, Civil Defence, ICA, Scouts, GAA and the many individuals who organise, promote and assist the work of the IBTS in the community.
Orla also thanked Emma for sharing her powerful story, reminding us all of why blood donations are always required.
Minister for Health marks 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day
To mark the 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has invited buildings and landmarks across the country to 'Go Red' on 14 June 2024. The Department of Health building on Baggot Street will be one of the buildings that will 'Go Red' to commemorate the occasion.
World Blood Donor Day is a World Health Organisation initiative to promote voluntary unremunerated blood donation across the world. Over the last 20 years, World Blood Donor Day has focused attention on the critical need of safe blood for patients across the world.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, said: "The global celebration of the 20th World Blood Donor Day is an extraordinary event to applaud blood donors worldwide. Their invaluable donations are lifesaving.
"One in four of us will need a blood transfusion as some point in our life, and the IBTS needs to collect around 3,000 donations a week to maintain the national blood supply. The availability of blood for transfusion is crucial for the treatment of patients in hospitals all over the country.
"I am urging all, whether it is your first time, or you regularly donate, to visit your nearest clinic and to give blood. Your donations are vital to ensure we keep on top of the demand from hospitals.”
The occasion is the perfect opportunity to thank blood donors globally and acknowledge the profound impact the act of donating blood has on saving lives. Stephen Cousins, National Donor Services manager of the IBTS, said: “World Blood Donor Day is also an opportunity for us to say a huge thank you to all of those donors who make a safe blood supply possible.”
For more information on how you can donate, visit giveblood.ie.