As the festive season fast approaches, Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch is urging potential blood donors across the Central Coast to roll up their sleeves and give blood to help people in need.
Tesch, who recently became a first-time donor at the Gosford Donor Centre, said donating blood was easy.
“Many Coasties will be daydreaming about the kinds of gifts they will be unwrapping on Christmas morning,” she said.
“But for plenty of others in the community, the gift of life will be at the top of their wish list.
“The year is not over yet, and there’s still time to change more lives, or to change lives for the first time, through the simple act of giving blood.
“Donating blood only takes about an hour out of your day … that’s about 10 minutes to donate and an hour to meet with a friendly staff member and sit down afterwards with a free snack and a drink.
“For those who are nervous about donating for the first time, the lovely team will walk you through the entire process.”
Donated red blood cells help people with cancer and blood diseases, anaemia and other needs, fractures and joint replacements, heart, organ and other non-orthopaedic surgeries, road incidents, pregnant women, new mothers and young children, and more.
“Red blood cells only last 42 days from when they are donated,” Tesch said.
“Australia needs more than 1.7 million donations every year to meet demand: that is three every minute.”
Central Coast resident Gary Jackson, whose blood donations total 393, says donating blood benefits the wider community.
“I started with approximately 125 whole blood donations,” he said.
“I did some platelet donations for a while.
“The rest are plasma donations.
“For me, donating blood is a community service.
“There is always someone in hospital that needs some form of blood products.
“For as long as I am healthy, I’ll be giving blood.”
Jackson has been donating blood since he was in high school.
“I originally started donating when I was at Gosford High School in 1979,” he said.
“The blood bank was just across the road, and we were encouraged by the school to donate.
“I have been donating ever since.
“I would encourage anyone thinking about donating to pop into their local Life Blood centre and give it a go.”
Prospective donors are encouraged to make an appointment in advance.
Gosford Donor Centre is at 69 Central Coast Hwy in Riverside Park, behind KFC at West Gosford.
Other donation centres can be found by a postcode search at lifeblood.com.au