Tag Archives: donor

BLOOD donation clinics will be held at Treacy’s West County Hotel on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5 from 4.45pm until 8pm. Please phone 1800 222 111 for an appointment. Approximately 1000 people in Ireland get blood transfusions every week. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service needs to collect 3,000 units of blood every week to maintain the national blood supply. The issue with blood is that no one knows who will need it, when they will need it, how much they may need, or  what type they require. Transfusions can happen for a variety of reasons – cancer treatment, surgery, car accidents, and childbirth complications to name a few. Urging people to donate the Irish Blood Transfusion Service outlines that one in four of us will need a blood transfusion in our lifetime. 67% of donated blood is used to treat cancer patients and people with blood disorders. 27% of donated blood is used in surgery and emergency situations. …

THE Irish Blood Transfusion Service are urging the people of Clare to give a “priceless gift” and donate blood this Christmas and New Year. Blood donation clinics will be open in Ennis across three days next week with donors called on to make a special effort this festive season. The clinics will be held by appointment only at CBS Primary School, Ennis on Tuesday, December 27, Wednesday, December 28 and Thursday, December 29. To book an appointment contact 1800 222 111. According to IBTS, donations are especially important given on-going challenges with donor availability due to the level of illness in the community, with nearly 20% of all appointments being cancelled weekly. “We really need blood donor’s help, we know it’s been hard and our donors have been amazing in their support.  Donating blood is a selfless act for the person who gives it but is a priceless gift to the person who receives it. For the next three weeks, we …

A GORT man, who donated a kidney to his brother, is organising an event in aid of the Irish Kidney Association this Saturday. This time last year, Gerry Quinn donated a kidney to his brother, John, after the latter had been on dialysis for more than a year. Kidney transplants where the donor is alive are still quite rare in Ireland, with only 50 taking place in 2016. The Quinn brothers’ story is a very positive one, in that there was a family member who was a match and willing to donate. Tragically, for hundreds of other dialysis patients across Ireland, they must await a phonecall relaying the news that someone has passed away before donation is possible. The lifespan of a kidney donated from a ‘foreign’ donor – a person who is not a family member – is usually between 10 and 15 years. A kidney donated from a family member is a much stronger match and will last longer. Indeed, …