Dedicated blood donors honoured

TWO dedicated blood donors from the Warrington area have been recognised for rolling up their sleeves to help save lives.
The donors – Eileen Bennicke, of Stockton Heath and Brian Coyne, of Grappenhall – were honoured at an awards event held by NHS Blood and Transplant at Chester.
Two donors from the Warrington area were joined by others from across
Cheshire and North Wales with a total of 42 donors receiving crystal awards.
Guest speaker, Marie Gibson from Wrexham, spoke about her need for blood.
She said: “I was pregnant with my third child and had a condition called
placenta previa. This meant I was likely to deliver early. I was kept in hospital from 26 weeks after suffering heavy bleeding.
“I finally had an emergency c-section at 30 weeks, during which I lost a lot of blood and received transfusions. My daughter was born weighing just 3lb 3ozs.
“You never know when you might need to receive blood. It saved my life and I am really thankful for it being there. Both myself and my daughter are happy and healthy now. If you can give blood, please do.”
Each blood donor has potentially saved the lives of up to three people with every donation they have made, so the 42 donors at the ceremony may have helped save or improve up to 9,975 lives between them.
Barbara Blanche, lead donor relations manager at NHS Blood and
Transplant, said: “We would like to thank these donors for their commitment and dedication. They are an inspiration to us all and we hope that others will follow in their footsteps to save and improve the lives of many people.”
Anyone aged between 17-65, weighing more than 7 stone 12lbs and in general good health could potentially start saving lives by becoming a blood donor. There is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the last two years. For more information or to book an appointment call the Donor Line on 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk
Pictured: Marie Gibson with donors Eileen Bennicke and Brian Coyne.