TheDonor

Little life saversHow apheresis lets donors

give more often

Eternallygrateful

Even donors sometimes have

to rely on someone else’s blood!

Little life saversHow apheresis lets donors

give more often

Eternallygrateful

Even donors sometimes have

to rely on someone else’s blood!

SAFETY FIRST!What’s Hugh Laurie doing in a video about blood safety?

SAFETY FIRST!What’s Hugh Laurie doing in a video about blood safety?

NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICE AUTUMN 2002 • FREE

Tissue donation –a life changer

TheDonorCHECK OUT

OUR NEWWEBSITE

www.blood.co.uk

2 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 Find out where to give blood visit www.blood.co.uk

WELCOME & CONTENTS

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?We welcome your personal stories, questions and comments.Write to Penny Richardson, Editor, The Donor, NationalBlood Service, West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TW.

Or contact us via our website, www.blood.co.uk where youcan also find out more about the National Blood Service.

The cost of producing, printing and posting each copy ofthis magazine is less than the price of a first class stamp.The Donor is published by the National Blood Service. Reproduction inwhole or part is strictly forbidden without the prior permission of theNational Blood Service. NBS Project Liaison Caroline Osborne. Editorial consultancy, writing, subbing, art direction, design and production Keith Hodgson, Hilary Josephat Ant Creative (020 7609 6955). Reproduction – LDPG (London). Printed in the UK by Pindar plc on paperfrom sustainable forests.

3 NEWS FEATURE & NEWSLatest news and stories from blood donors and recipients

6 CAMPAIGN NEWSFind out about the latest national campaign from around the UK

7 HELP US TO HELP YOUWe want your feedback, please!

8 PUTTING SAFETY FIRST How actors Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton are bringing thesafety message to hospitals

10 A LIFE CHANGER AND SAVERTissue donation can make an enormous difference tosomeone’s life – we look at this important area of medicine

11 LITTLE LIFE SAVERSBlood platelets are life savers, and thanks to a process calledapheresis, donors can give them many times a year

12 OVER TO YOUCatch up with readers’ letters, plus health Q&A’s and webwatch

13 ALL IN A LONG DAY’S WORKA day in the life of donor carer Eddie Mays

14 LIFE SAVING TRANSPLANTDonor David Cooke never dreamed that he would need donatedblood to survive

15 THE INFORMATION CENTREWhere to contact us with your donor queries, plus a Billy BloodDrop puzzle for the kids

16 DIANE’S LITTLE MIRACLESickle Cell sufferers, like Diane Crawford, need regulartransfusions from donors with similar ethnic backgrounds

In this Autumn issue

Blood safety pages 8/9 Tissue donation page 10

The National Blood Service is run by The National Blood Authoritywhich is a Special Health Authority within the National Health Service NHS

Hello and welcome to TheDonor Autumn 2002.

In this issue we’ve got newsand photos of the AroundBritain Challenge, and ourNews pages 4 and 5 tell youwhat’s been happening inthe country this summer.

We’re also bringing you up to date with ourcampaign to enrol potential bone marrowdonors. We’ve got more of your questions andviews on page 12. Plus we’re bringing you thelatest news on the new donation process.

Donor carers – you know their faces, you mayknow their names – but do you know what they do? Find out on page 13. You may have wondered why we ask you all those questions? Turn to pages 8 & 9 for all the answers!

Platelets are lifesavers too. Each donation yougive yields these little lifesavers but did youknow that man + machine yield even more? Onpage 11 we explain what ‘apheresis’ is.

Most people are aware of the benefits oforgan transplant, but relatively few know muchabout tissue transplants. Find out about the lifechanging results on page 10. And in our NewsExtra, ’Diane’s little miracle’, you can read justwhat blood transfusions mean to this youngmum, who is one of 12,000 people in the country suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia, andwhy we need donors from every section of ourmulticultural society.

I hope you enjoy this issue of The Donor.We’ve included a Billy Puzzle especially for ouryounger readers – although there’s no upperage limit for this!

Penny RichardsonEditor

NEWS FEATURE

Become a bone marrow donor call 0845 7 711 711

"I hope I’ve shown to everyonethat anything is possible. I’m surethat the number of new blooddonors we have recruited for theNBS and the funds we have raisedfor the Legion’s welfare work in theex-Service community will make areal difference to people’s lives."

You've got to hand it to him!

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 3

Dave Abrutat likes a challenge. So being awheelchair user didn't stop him from hand-cycling over 3000 miles around Britain in 87 days

Dave Abrutat was nearly killed in a road traffic accident in March 2000,which left him paralysed and needing 20 units of blood.

Instead of letting his disablility beat him, the 28-year-old decided tohelp raise funds and awareness for the organisations that helped himovercome his own personal challenge. He also hopes to inspire peoplewith spinal injuries to achieve their dreams.

Dave was always very active before his accident. He travelledaround the world and participated in many research and mountaineering expeditions. A keen endurance paddler, he recentlyco-organised the Royal Marines attempt to canoe the Okavango Deltain Botswana. As well as having been an active climber and moun-taineer in some of the world’s greater ranges, he also enjoyed manyendurance sports, competing in marathons, triathlons and duathlons.

Dave the action man

Dave Abrutat, a former RAFofficer who was paralysedfrom the waist down in a

car accident, has become the firstperson to circle the coastline ofGreat Britain by handcycle. Why?As a personal challenge. And toencourage more people to becomeblood donors and to raise moneyfor the Royal British Legion PoppyAppeal.

Dave, aged 28, said: "TheLegion and the National BloodService both played a vital part in myrecovery and without them Iwouldn’t be able to attempt thistrip. This was my way of saying‘thank-you’."

When the Challenge kicked offon May 10th, Dave was joined byamputee Nigel Rogoff, whoplanned to kayakaround the Britishcoast, with the help ofa support team.

However, very poorweather meant thatNigel, also a former RAFofficer, had to abandonthe Challenge after justa few weeks.

Determined Davedecided to push on andovercame emotionaland physical demandsto complete theChallenge in anamazing 87 days, cycling onaverage 39 miles per day in allweather conditions.

From cycle clubs and soldiers tomayors and mums, Dave and theteam drummed up huge support,

Left and above: The AroundBritain Challenge was launchedon May 10th at the Tower ofLondon. Dave and the teamarrived back after successfullycompleting the 3,384 milechallenge in just 87 days!

Above: Dave (far left)arrives in Blackpool fromPreston. Pictured with himare Anne Harper from theRoyal British Legion (secondfrom right), Jason "Swifty"Swift (far right), AlistairHodgson (centre) and JennyHill (second from left) whorecently carried the Queen'sJubilee Baton. Left: Staff from NBS BristolCentre got on their bikesand bid farewell to Dave ashe crossed the Wye Bridge

inspiring hundreds of people tocycle with them at various times.Dave, who is now aiming tocompete at the 2004 Paralympics in

Athens, said: "The last 87 days havebeen very difficult, but hugelyrewarding.

"The level of support from thethousands of people who cheeredme on during the Challenge wasphenomenal; I would like to thankthem all.

Above: Almost home, the teammeet the guys at RAF Coltishall

4 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002

NEWS

You can find session details on BBC2 Ceefax page 465

L ittle Beth Morris is hoping to come out ofsemi-isolation this month after receiving a

bone marrow transplant six months ago.Beth (pictured on the left with younger sister

Rachel) was diagnosed with LymphoblasticLeukaemia (a form of cancer of the bone marrow)when she was just 17 months old.

Since then she has undergone several lengthyperiods of chemotherapy where she neededblood transfusions or ‘pinking’. Her mum Janet,says: "We call it pinking because it brings hercolour back."

Beth needed ‘topping up’ every couple ofmonths as aggressive chemotherapy and radio-therapy depleted her of her blood and energy.

Without blood donors, the vital blood andblood products Beth needed would not have been available.

Beth had her bone marrow transplant at The RoyalManchester Children’s Hospital in April. The marrow,donated in Germany, took almost two hours to be transfusedinto her body and she slept through the whole process!

Because her immune system had been destroyed, shespent the next month in a room with a controlledatmosphere. The first two weeks were spent in isolation.

During the early days she received platelet and bloodtransfusions daily to support her body until her new bonemarrow began to produce blood cells of its own.

Beth came out of isolation after 16 days when her bloodcounts had improved and is now in a period of semi-isolation.

A small number of very close family and friends can visither, but she must not mix with the general public, since herimmune system still can’t cope with viral infections.

Beth is now doing very well, and her outlook is veryhopeful. Janet says: "She is so looking forward to coming outof isolation and being a normal girl.

"This has given her a chance to have what she wants morethan anything and which most of us take for granted – anormal life and a future."

Interested in registering as a bone marrow donor? Theninform the session receptionist when you next give blood,before your donation.

Or call the Donor Helpline on 0845 7 711 711.

Of the 5,000 UK residentswho carried the

Commonwealth Gamesbaton, only one was nothuman and only one wasshaped like a blood drop.

The specially designedbaton contained the Queen’sopening message for thegames. Billy (above), the onlymascot allowed to run, wasselected because of his specialcontribution to thecommunity.

Before Billy took up thereins, the baton had alreadycrossed 23 countries andtravelled 59,000 miles. Billy

was chosen to run a 500-yardleg outside WembleyStadium.

From the moment heturned up he was mobbed byorganisers and other runnersall wanting their picture takenalongside him.

With friends and staff thereto cheer him on, Billy rapidlycovered the ground. Heappeared glad to finish, butproud to have contributed tothis historic event. Billy’sefforts helped to ensure thebaton reached Manchester intime for the openingceremony on 25th July.

When Devon donorKenneth Denton

turned up to give his 150thdonation everyone wasimpressed.

When the 65-year-old saidhe had run a half marathonthe day before, we even putdown our chocolate biscuits!

Mr Denton (picturedbelow) has been a whole

blood and apheresis donorsince 1959.

Says Mr Denton: "I’drecommend becoming ablood donor to anyone.

"It’s not to be treated as amedical, but it does keep ageneral check on your health.

"You’re also helping savelives which is great!"

The NBS is making furtherimprovements to blood

safety. Fresh frozen plasma fornew-born babies and childrenborn after 1st January 1996will be obtained from theUnited States, as an extraprecaution against theunknown risk of vCJDtransmission. This fresh frozenplasma will have a furthertreatment to reduce the risk ofblood-borne viruses.

This is in addition to stepsthat have already been takento minimise the unknown riskof vCJD through blood andblood products. These includethe removal of white bloodcells and the importation ofplasma from the US to makeblood products.

Each year around 2% ofplasma supplied to hospitals isused for premature babies, plusbabies and children under-going surgery, after majoraccidents and through injury.

However, remember yourdonations are always vital, aswe still need 10,000 units aday to supply our hospitals.

Billy relays important message

Little Beth bounces back

Manchester swimmerAdrian Turner scooped

a bronze and a silver medal atthe Commonwealth Gamesafter beating a life-threatening blood disease.

Adrian, 25, nearly diedwhen he developed auto-immune haemolytic anaemiajust before the Millennium. Heneeded repeated transfusions,

and eventually recovered, butmissed his chance at theSydney Olympics.

He came back with avengeance though, taking abronze in the 400m and silverin the 200m Individual Relaysin Manchester. He alsoachieved personal best times.

Almost two years after his

Double winnerillness, Adrian wanted to seebehind the donation processthat saved his life, and visitedPlymouth Grove Centre (he ispictured with Maurice Brohn,a volunteer at theCommonwealth Games andveteran of more than 700platelet donations).

Says Adrian: "I wouldn’thave been swimming at the

Games if it hadn’t been forpeople giving blood. I cannotthank them in person, but Iwant people to know howgrateful I am. People may notrealise it but I am only able tocompete for my countrybecause of blood donors.They saved my life; I hope Imake them proud."

Devon donor’spersonal best

Improvements

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 5

NEWS

Don’t forget the Helpline number 0845 7 711 711

Leicestershire’s bloodcollection team has won a

prestigious award after beingnominated for the accolade bya donor.

The 30-strong team, basedin Leicester, took the teamprize at the first ever ‘Hands onHealth’ awards, a newinitiative launched by theLeicester Mercury newspaper.

The Leicester team wasnominated for the award bydonor Jim Ayres, who wrote tothe newspaper saying: "I don’tthink teams like these get therecognition for the hard work,effort and late hours they putin to fulfil their aim. I think weshould all recognise theirefforts, as they could be calledthe ‘heartbeat’ of the NHS."

Donor carers Deb Ayres,Anne Durocher-Weston andCindy Strange, together with unit manager HilaryHorrobin, represented theteam at a special presentationceremony, hosted by theMayor of Leicester, CouncillorMaggie Bodell-Stagg.

Hilary said: "It’s fantastic towin this award, and is a bigboost to all staff. It’s nice toknow that people appreciatewhat we are doing."

Dad’s Army star IanLavender was ‘on

parade’ with the NBS inSheffield when the centrewent back in time to celebrateits 30th anniversary.

Ian (pictured above), whoplayed Private Pike in the classiccomedy series, was guest of honour at the celebrationsto mark the 30 years since the opening of the centre atLongley Lane.

The actor – who neededblood as part of successfultreatment for cancer –released 30 balloons, and cutthe birthday cake, helped by former centre director, Dr. Bill Wagstaff.

They were joined at thecelebrations by staff memberspast and present, localdonors, blood recipients, andmembers of the NBSExecutive. In the true spirit ofall things 1972, some staffmembers even donned theirbest seventies gear – includingflares and platform shoes!

This was Sheffield’s firstever purpose-built bloodtransfusion centre, and isresponsible for collecting,processing and issuing allblood in the Trent region.Since opening, the centre hashandled around 5.3 millionunits of blood – that’s morethan 660,000 gallons!

Dedicated donor ThomasHunt from Heathcote in

Warwick got more than hebargained for when he wentalong to give blood.

Mr Hunt’s family are soproud of his achievement –more than 140 donations –that they asked staff at the NBSif they could set up a ‘This IsYour Life’ event when he nextgave blood.

Mr Hunt’s son-in-law,Michael, who instigated thesurprise along with his wifeLesley, says: "Tom is a really

flamboyant character whomakes the blood service stafflaugh every time he donates!We are very proud of him andwanted to show him that."

When Mr Hunt (picturedabove lying down) arrived hewas greeted by all his familyand the ‘red book’, well, folder!

Although most of his familyare already regular donors, oneof his daughters surprised himby signing up to donate for thefirst time to help carry on thefamily tradition of beinglifesavers!

Dad’s Army star joinsanniversary celebrations

Bunting, balloons andblue blood – summer

2002 was a right royalaffair!

And we marked theoccasion in many differentways across the country.

From red, white and bluefairy cakes at sessions todonors becoming ‘king fora day’, all the events, andyour dedication, helpedensure blood stocksremained healthy over theextended bank holiday.

The Queen wasn’t theonly VIP celebrating aGolden Jubilee this year.Some of the most long-standing donors from the

Trent region and fromacross the Midlands alsoraised a glass to mark theirown 50th anniversary ofgiving blood.

Donors who begangiving blood in 1952 – theyear the Queen came to thethrone – got together toremember 50 years ofdonating.

Meanwhile, in Stone(Staffordshire), Newcastle(Stoke on Trent) andBirmingham New Streetstatic donor centre,competitions were held tofind a donor who would betreated like royalty for thewhole day.

Donors were asked to fillout a leaflet if they were

‘This Is Your Life’ surprise

interested in taking part. Theleaflets were then put into abox and the winning donorwas chosen at random.

Each ‘king’ and ‘queen’had a bouquet of flowers, ameal for two and abeauty/relaxation treatment(all thanks to the generosityof local companies).

Birmingham’s ‘King forthe Day’, David Dixon, ispictured above with ZoeWright, (left), Diane Jacobs,and Parvine from TheClarendon (beauty salon).

One lucky donor really didget the royal treatment –John Wattrus from Solihulland NBS team managerJanet James met Her MajestyQueen Elizabeth II who

congratulated Mr Wattruson being such a dedicateddonor!

Inspired by the regalcelebrations, another‘Royle’ has lent his supportto the NBS.

Donor Philip Royle(pictured below) is markinghis own half century by

taking on a very specialchallenge.

Phil, from Derby – whocelebrated his 50th birthdayin March 2002 – haspledged to celebrate themilestone by running atotal of 50 miles in racesduring the year. However,instead of asking people todonate money, he’s askingthem to give blood instead -and has set himself a targetof 50 new donors by theend of the year.

Donors’ Jubilee summer

Leicester wins award

Find out where to give blood visit www.blood.co.uk

CAMPAIGN NEWS

6 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002

Give before you go, says BillyBilly Blood Drop has played a key role inour ‘Give Before You Go’ summercampaign, which encourages people togive blood before their holidays.

This summer, the NBS mascot has alsobeen out and about using a variety ofmodes of transport, to help publicise the‘Please Get There’ campaign.

This campaign aims to raise awarenessof the need for new and regular blooddonors and the importance of getting to asession any way you can.

From punting along the river inCambridge to joining the PeterboroughPanthers speedway team for a quick whizaround the track, Billy has helped drivethe message home.

The year long campaign has proved tobe a great success making sure bloodstocks stay healthy especially at holidaytime! No sooner are the summer holidaysover, then Christmas (yes, Christmas!)looms large, as we continue to encouragepeople to ‘Please Get There’.

Fortunately, Billy didn’tdrink a drop when he

visited Bass Brewers inBurton-on-Trent.

Billy Blood Drop washelping the dray horses with their deliveries andreminding donors to ‘PleaseGet There’.

The NBS hold severaldonor sessions at thebrewery, and staff (includingthe horses, of course!) weremore than happy to helpwith the campaign.

The Imperial War Museum, Duxford, recently helped theNBS give a real lift to their national campaign ‘It Doesn’t

Matter How You Get There, Please Get There!’, the year-longcampaign which highlights the importance of giving bloodregularly.

Billy Blood Drop (pictured above with NBS staff) dropped infor a photo call and acquainted himself with some of thevarious modes of transport that Duxford has to offer,including a Spitfire, VC 10, World War II ambulance and aLifeboat!

Peterborough’s speedwayteam, The Panthers,

(pictured above) has thrownits weight behind the NBS‘Please Get There’ campaign.

The teams have joinedforces in a bid to raiseawareness of the importanceof becoming a blood donor.

NBS staff were at thelaunch of the new speedwayseason at the East of England

Showground as part of thecampaign.

Phil Wing, co-promoter ofthe Peterborough Panthers,said: "We are happy tosupport this worthwhilecampaign.

"The National BloodService provides a vitalservice and we are pleased to help this cause in any waywe can."

Staff from the NBS took tothe River Cam in a punt

as part of the drive to getdonors to make it to theirsession.

The weather was perfectand the river was busy, sothere were a few close callswith other punts!

Fortunately, the girls soonfound their ‘sea legs’ and no-one fell overboard!

Panthers lead the way

‘ello, ‘ello, ‘ello, what’s all this then?

Billy gets a flying start!

Messing abouton the river

Holidaymakers getthe message

Special deliveryat the brewery

Billy Blood Drop will go toany lengths to promote

the ‘Please Get There’campaign message – evengetting arrested!

The NBS mascot helpedpolice with their enquiriesduring a recent visit toWalthamstow station.

PC Mario Panayiotou(above left with PC Helen

Dean), said: "We are happyto support the NBS campaignand to remind people of theimportance of their service.By donating blood you arehelping someone else. Themore people that donateblood, the better equippedthe NBS is to help even morepeople, as a single donationcan save more than one life."

Donors in Sutton Coldfield have been swapping their vitalpint of the red stuff for a pint of the white stuff instead!

Midland Dairy is takingpart in the ‘Pint for a Pint’campaign that involves thelocal milkman handing outNBS leaflets with hisdeliveries.

Donors take this leafletalong to session and get itstamped the next time theygive blood.

They can then hand thisleaflet back to their milkmanwho gives them a free pint ofmilk in return.

The NBS linked up withApplebys Advantage

Travel Centres throughoutLincolnshire to encouragepeople to donate and helpensure blood stocks stayhealthy during the holidays.

Helen Warman, areamanager for Applebys, said:"We’re delighted to behelping the NBS to save livesby encouraging more peopleto come forward as blooddonors.

”Thousands of peoplebook holidays and businesstrips with Applebys everyyear, and if just a fraction ofthose went to give blood itwould make such a bigdifference to so manypeople.“

Billy Blood Drop helpedget the message across withhelp from Applebys’ MichelleMcCann (above on the left)

and Sarah Green.Every Applebys branch will

be displaying posters andhanding out leaflets toencourage customers to giveblood. And some staffmembers have also pledgedto become donors.

The white stuff

donors will affect us, and keep upto date with any change in donorrequirements.

We do listen to what you say.Putting a session searcher on ourweb site, increasing theinformation we give out from our0845 helpline and changing ourawards policy are just a few of theimprovements which we havemade, thanks to you letting usknow what you want!

Staff matter too Just over a year ago we set up asmall team to collect, monitor anddrive the findings of this feedbackinto tangible changes that donorscan see both on and off session.

Gerry Gogarty, who heads upthe team says, "We have been

working hard to improve. But it isstaff who will deliver a betterservice, so they have been involvedall the way, from developing thedonation process to creating ourlong-term mission. With this typeof grass roots involvement, I amsure we are on the right road.“

COMMUNICATIONS

Help us to help youThe new streamlined donation process is getting the thumbs up fromdonors. But with your feedback, we can make even more improvements

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 7Become a bone marrow donor call 0845 7 711 711

Almost ‘live’ across the UK

just as important to us: "I waitedfor over an hour and a half andcould not stay any longer. Pleaseshorten waiting times."

Tell us what you want! Feedback lets us know how well weare meeting your needs andexpectations, and what yourpriorities for improvement are. Wecan learn from the collection teamsthat are getting it right, see howthe geographical preferences of

In early August we went ‘live’ in Leicester with the first part of thenew streamlined donation process, closely followed by Thetford.The whole of Trent and Anglia region were ‘live’ at the end ofAugust, and the remaining regions, except for the North West,should join them by early December. ● We had trained 1,717 staff for the new process by the end ofAugust , and are training over 600 staff each month. ● All donor homes are now sent the Donor Health CheckQuestionnaire, and by Christmas all regular donors (not new) willbe able to go straight to the tea table after donating blood, if theyprefer. A selection of consumer magazines will also be available.● So far, donor feedback has been positive: “This is so much better than usual.” And “I can’t believe how quickly I was seen,”were typical remarks.

Putting donors’ needs first isat the heart of our donationreview. Now in its second

year, the review has already result-ed in many important changes forthe better (see box).

But there’s more to come. Oneof our key aims is to build and keepa base of regular donors who willdonate time and time again. Thismakes it far easier for us to keepsupplies of blood ready and waitingfor hospitals when they need them.

It also means safer blood forpatients (there’s more about bloodsafety on pages 8 and 9).

Obviously a happy donor ismore likely to become a regulardonor, so we are working hard to provide the right opportunity,environment and care, toencourage you to donate regularly. To do this we need you to continue to tell us what we aregetting right – and wrong.

How are we doing? You can let us know in two ways.One is through a new donorsatisfaction survey. Two surveys

have already been carried out andwe will increase this to four a year.The survey is mailed to a randomset of donors just after they havegiven blood.

So far there has been greatsupport. A typical response ratemight be 20% for such a survey. Over50% of donors have responded – itjust shows how willing donors are tohelp us. Thank you.

At donor session venues, a ‘Compliments & Complaints’

leaflet is now available which asksdonors to ‘Let us know how we are doing’. We’ve had manycompliments, we’re pleased toreport - over 60% of replies werepositive. Here’s a typical one froma donor from Yorkshire, "Givingblood recently was an achievementfor myself, I was petrified! Theteam who took care of me werewonderful, absolutely fantastic."

Of course, sometimes we getthings wrong. But complaints arepart of the feedback process and

Getting it right: your feedback ishelping us give you, the donor,the service you would like to have

But there’s more to

come. One of our key

aims is to build and

keep a base of regular

donors who will donate

time and time again

BLOOD SAFETY

8 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 You can find session details on BBC2 Ceefax page 465

Putting safety first

your answers suggest you may havebeen exposed to infection, we willdefer you.

Another infection risk comesfrom the bacteria found on skin.Allowing those bugs, althoughharmless to you, to get into thedonation could be fatal to a patient.Hence the careful arm-cleaning.

Even the collection pack hassafety devices attached to it. Nexttime you give blood take a look.There’s a pouch that prevents thetiny piece of skin from the needleand the first few drops of bloodfrom getting into the bag. Another

these figures are low, we areconstantly working to reduce themfurther.

Questions, questions!All donors give their blood for free –This is the first major step towardssafe blood.

Many of you ask ‘why do you askus all those questions before wegive blood’? The answer is verysimple. It helps us to ensure you willnot become unwell after donating,and to choose 'safer' donors.Regular donors are especiallyimportant to us, as we know their

history (sorry, you still have toanswer all the questions though!)

Wading through the questionscan be frustrating but your answersallow us to defer donors who have ahigher risk of carrying a blood borneinfection, because of their lifestyle,medical or travel history. Not allinfections make you feel unwell,and until your body has producedantibodies or enough of the virus tobe detected, the blood safety testsback in our labs will not reveal theirpresence. This gap betweenexposure and the test picking it up isknown as the ‘window period’. If

The blood samples we take when you give bloodare used to complete our safety tests back in thelaboratory. These safety tests are mandatory, inother words we carry them out on every singleblood donation, whether it is your first or just oneof the many you have given over the years.

We check your blood group and test for Syphilis, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), HumanImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Hepatitis C Virus and also a recent test has been introduced

for Human T-lymphotropic Virus (HTLV). We also have a number of supplementary tests

that are not performed on every donation.Whether or not we test depends on a donor’s individual circumstances, such as travel history andsometimes we do it to provide specifically tested blood for certain types of patients. Thesesupplementary tests include Malaria, T-cruzi andCytomegalovirus (CMV)

More information about these tests can befound by reading Tests on your blood – A guide fordonors, which is is available at all donor sessions.

What on earth is HughLaurie doing on ourfront cover? Well you

see, he's starring with ImeldaStaunton in a video about bloodsafety, made for hospital staff. Hughand Imelda play an array of roles todemonstrate the common errorsthat can cause problems for patientsreceiving blood transfusions.

But even if the video is designedto make hospital staff smile, themessage is a serious one. We takeno chances with blood safety, andhave extremely tight procedures,tests and controls to make suredonated blood is as safe as possible.

The record is exceptionally good.Last year patients received overthree million units of blood andblood products. Out of these,hospitals reported only 315transfusion-related problems.

Of these, 213 were caused byhuman error at the hospital, 96were patients experiencing someform of reaction against the‘foreign’ blood and only six weredue to an infection transmittedfrom the transfusion. Although

What do we test for?

Above: Hugh Laurie and ImeldaStaunton were happy to help putour safety video togetherLeft: Filling out forms is just oneaspect of the safety precautionswe take to make sure blood is assafe as we can make it

We take the safety of blood very seriously. That’s why we need to keepon asking all those questions every time you donate. Safer blood alsomeans tests and treatments once the blood is donated – and properlytrained staff as well. Which is where Hugh Laurie comes in…

BLOOD SAFETY

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 9Don’t forget the Helpline number 0845 7 711 711

Jean Wiliams, a busy hotelier inGreat Yarmouth, usually went toher local donor session with herfriend. In 2000 she missed herregular visits; she had a cold,then she was busy and couldn’tmake it.

Last July, she and her friendresolved that, busy or not, theywould have to make the time togo and give blood. Jean was surprised when she failed thefinger prick test, as she felt well.She had been losing weight buthaving been (in her words) “overweight”, was pleased to see itcoming off. The further testshowed her haemoglobin was8.8 (to donate the minimumlevel is 12 for women and 13 for

men). She was told that shecouldn’t donate and advised bythe nurse to visit her doctor. Testsrevealed Jean had cancer of thekidney and an operation wasnecessary. Before her operationcould take place, she neededfour units of blood.

Jean wrote to The Donor tosay thank you for the care andadvice she received. If she hadn’tfollowed the nurse’s advice shewouldn’t have made that doc-tor’s appointment. She is nowrecovering well.

Although Jean was fortunate,please remember that givingblood must not be used as ahealth check, as this can putrecipients lives at risk.

attachment is the filter, this at a laterstage removes white cells from the blood. This is an additionalprecautionary safety measure.

Each time you give blood wetake blood samples for safety testsback in our labs. These tests look forinfections that can be passed fromdonor to patient (see box). Theblood is kept in a quarantine fridgeuntil all the tests are completed withnegative results. Then the blood islabelled with its blood group andbecomes ready for issue to thehospital.

The packs we use are sealed,which means the contents are not

exposed until they are transfused.Not only that, throughout their lifethey are stored in a suitableenvironment that is temperature-controlled. The right temperature isimportant to help keep the cellsalive, inhibit bacterial growth, andhelp the filters to work.

After your donation, you stillplay a vital part in blood safety.Please contact us if you develop anyillness (except a simple cold) withintwo weeks of giving blood. So, for

Blood test that helped Jean back to health

example, if you come down with astomach bug, it's possible that theinfection was in your blood whenyou donated. It could potentiallyharm the patient who receives yourblood so we must trace yourdonation and hopefully stop itbeing used for transfusion.

Computer trackingWe can easily find it by using PULSE,our computer system which tracksthe progress of a pack of blood fromthe time it leaves your arm to thetime it is transfused to a patient.This is all possible because of theunique donation number, which isissued at a session. Our operationalprocedures make sure the labelswith this number and bar code arecorrectly placed on the blood bagand samples.

Jean (left) went to give blood but was advised to see her doctor.Further tests revealed cancer, but Jean is now recovering well

Our computersystem, PULSE,

tracks the progressof a pack of blood

from donor torecipient

Of course all of theseprocedures, tests and checks arecontrolled by UK and EU guidelines.We are also regularly checked bygovernment inspectors.

The safety of our donors andour blood is extremely important.So next time we ask you ‘all thosequestions’ please remember, it'sboth for your benefit and that of thepatient whose life you are helpingto save.

Above: Questions and testing will show if a donors blood is safefor patientsLeft: Processing is carried outunder controlled conditions inour laboratories

10 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 Find out about company sessions call 0845 7 711 711

is why anyone consideringbecoming a tissue donor should, aswell as carrying a donor card (seebelow for details) discuss theirwishes with their family.

You may not realise it, but

TISSUE DONATION

many more people are able todonate tissues other than organs,because unlike organs, tissuedonation can take place within 24 hours of death. One donor canhelp up to forty people to benefitfrom tissue transplant surgery.Also, unlike organs, donatedtissues can be stored.

Many people owe their lives to donated organs. But did you know thatdonated tissues such as bone and skin can also help people back tohealth? If you’ve ever thought about carrying a donor card read on

Martyn was only 23 when his life ended suddenly ina road traffic accident. Yet in the middle of theirtragedy, only hours after his death, his family decided to let others be helped through the donation of Martyn’s tissues.

His mother, Maureen, says, "Martyn had had adonor card since he was nine. Thefact that Martyn was a donor andthat he helped so many others hasbrought us some comfort. He wassimply the best." His girlfriend Vickisays, "Martyn would have helpedanyone, and I am proud that he carried on doing that after he died."

Everette, a teacher from Essexand father of two, owes his sight to the generosity of tissue donors.In 1995 he was diagnosed

with a serious eye diseasethat would eventually leadto blindness. His sightdeteriorated until lifebecame extremely difficult.However, today he has nearperfect vision. His sight wassaved thanks to two cornealtransplants.

Says Everette, "I can’tdescribe what it means tome to see my children’s faces again, and so much is again possible. Mytransplant has benefited notjust me but also my familyand many others, and it’s allthanks to the incrediblekindness of others." About2,500 corneal transplantswere performed last year.

The National BloodService has been involved inthe donation and banking oftissues for transplant since1993. We have three tissuebanks and a dedicated team

of specialists, working around thecountry. This work goes hand inhand with the provision of blood tohospitals. Of course, blood donorsalready play a vital part of the tissuetransplant programme, providingthe blood needed during manytransplant procedures.

Tell your familyMany people can be considered fortissue donation following death,and often bereaved families arecomforted by knowing that theyhave carried out the wishes of theirloved one and helped others in thisvitally important way.

If you decide you would like tobecome a donor you should

• Tell your family• Carry a donor card• Join the organ donor registry

For more information, pick up a donor card and an information leaflet at your nextblood donor session or visitwww.nhsorgandonor.net.

Playing their part

Above: the family of Martyn (left) wantedto carry out his wishes for tissue donationto benefit others

A new life for Everette: tissuedonation helps everyone not just the recipient

A life changer, and saverST

EVE

LYN

E

T issue donors are ordinarypeople who do an extraor-dinary thing. They have

decided that after their death, theywill allow some of their tissues tobe used so that others can benefit.Tissues such as skin, bone, heartvalves and corneas can dramaticallyimprove the quality of life for recipients, and even save lives.

Each year, thousands of patientsare helped by orthopaedic surgery,made possible with the help ofdonated bone. Last yearapproximately 10,000 bonetransplants were performed.

Many specialist knee operationswould not take place withoutdonated tendons, while donatedskin is vital for the effectivetreatment of serious burns. Somepatients couldn’t survive withoutdonated heart valves. About 800heart valve transplants were carriedout last year.

Carry the cardSadly, not everyone who couldbenefit from tissue transplantsurgery gets the chance, becauseof a shortage of donors. At a timeof grief, it can be hard for medicalstaff or others to approach thebereaved family, so opportunitiesfor making a donation are lost. That

It’s not just whole bloodthat saves lives.Platelets provide a vital

treatment for many thousands of seriously illpatients.

Most of us know thatthe red cells in our blood are life-savers. But noteveryone knows that each time we give blood,we are donating an equally important bloodcomponent – platelets.These are the small cells inthe blood, which help theblood to clot.

We have about 150,000million platelets in everypint of our blood, but theyhave a much shorterlifespan than red cells andare usually used up within aweek. This means we needto make many millions of platelets aday to stay healthy.

Daily transfusionsSome people can’t make enoughplatelets, for example patientsundergoing treatment forleukaemia or cancer, those havingmajor surgery or with rare plateletdisorders. Without enoughplatelets these people are at risk ofbruising and life-threateningbleeding. To prevent this, patientshave platelet transfusions whichthey may need daily.

from donors who have thesame tissue type or platelettype. For this reason we typethe donors coming to ourstatic sites so we have anumber of people that wecan choose from if a patientneeds specially matchedplatelets. Sometimes specialplatelets have to be selectedto transfuse unborn childrenwhose platelets are beingdestroyed by the mother’santibodies.

To become a plateletdonor you need to be aged18 to 60, and live in easytravelling distance to one ofthe static sites. You need tohave donated blood

without problems several times,and have good veins. Above all youneed to have a higher than averageplatelet count. This means,unfortunately, that we can onlyaccept about one in four peoplewho volunteer to become plateletdonors. Without a high plateletcount we are unable to collectenough platelets to treat thepatients who need them.

Most areas need new plateletdonors and anyone interested infinding out more can either ask attheir next donor session or call theDonor Helpline on 0845 7 711 711.

APHERESIS

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 11You can find session details on BBC2 Ceefax page 465

TAKE THE LONGROAD

2.5 million blood packsare used each year.

If laid end to end they'dstretch from

London to Edinburgh.

NIC

K D

IGG

ORY

When Sam Goddard (pictured left),noticed he was bruising easily, hethought nothing of it. However, severaltests and a bone marrow biopsy,revealed he had Aplastic Anaemia – thefailure of blood cell production in thebone marrow.

During his treatment at ManchesterRoyal Infirmary, Sam was given 17 unitsof blood and 12 units of platelets tokeep his blood levels buoyant duringhis treatment.

Sam, who is now doing well, said:"The thing that occurred to me was,

that if I needed this many bags of blood and platelets, then howmany would an entire hospital need? I would like to thank thedonors for saving my life, for giving their blood and platelets withouteven thinking about where it was going and for whom it was beingused. Thank-you seems such an inadequate word. You will be savinglives - I know because many people saved mine!"

Thankful to the many

Most of these platelettransfusions are made from thewhole blood you donate; however,we also have a number of donorswho specially donate theirplatelets.

A special process means somedonors can give platelets manytimes a year.

These dedicated donors attendone of our 19 static sites across thecountry, where they give theirdonation on a machine called a cellseparator. This process is calledapheresis, and it takes about 90minutes to collect enough plateletsto provide two or three adulttransfusions.

Apheresis donors can giveplatelets much more frequentlythan whole blood – up to once afortnight. This is because their redcells are returned to the body afterthey have been separated from theplatelets, so the donor doesn’tbecome anaemic.

Apheresis platelets areessentially the same as thoseproduced from whole blood, butfor some patients these particularplatelets are vital.

If a patient needs a largenumber of platelet transfusions,the transfusions may graduallybecome less effective, because thepatient’s immune system starts to‘reject’ the platelets by formingantibodies against them.

Specially matchedWhen this happens, the patientneeds specially matched platelets,

Thanks to apheresis,donors can make plateletand plasma donationsevery fortnight if required

OLL

Y B

ALL

Little life saversIt’s not just whole blood that saves lives. Blood platelets are a vital treatment for many thousands of seriously ill patients. Donors canprovide these special cells many times a year

BELLY-BUSTERSBELLY-BUSTERSWhat is Billy's favourite

takeaway meal?

"Donor" Kebabs

OVER TO YOU

WEBWATCH

IS IT TRUE THAT...

This is your chance to tell us your news, views and interesting or unusual donor stories. Write to Penny Richardson, Editor, The Donor, National BloodService, West Derby Street, Liverpool L7 8TW

Q I had a baby 11 monthsago and I am still

breastfeeding, can I give blood?

AYes, a recent change in ourcriteria allows new mums to

give blood nine months aftergiving birth, even if they are stillbreastfeeding. There’s nothing to stop dads-to-beand new dads from donating soplease encourage them to go.

Q I am a great believer inalternative therapy but I

am confused whether thiswould restrict me giving blood.

A Most alternative therapiesand medicines do not stop

people giving blood; it helps if youcan tell us the constituents of anymedicines you are taking.Acupuncture, unless you canproduce a certificate of affiliationto a registered association fromyour practitioner, will prevent you

12 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 Find where to give blood visit www.blood.co.uk

Thank youI want to tell readers of The Donorhow much I value the blood Ireceive. For over seven years I havesuffered from multiple myeloma, Iam now entirely dependent for myexistence on regular bloodtransfusions and have received theblood from more than 100 donors.With the help of these wonderfulpeople I am able to enjoy a happyfamily life with my husband, twodaughters and four year oldgrandson.

Words can never adequatelyexpress my thanks to thosesplendid donors out there! Theymaintain my health and give melife. Without them I could notsurvive and to them all I offer myheartfelt thanks.MARION LEAHY

BRIGHTON

Donor Health CheckI would like to send this message tosome of my fellow donors – I dohope you will print my letter (if youare able!)

At my local session, a fewdonors (not new donors) were rudeto the staff. They refused to listen to

the nurse when she told them theyhad to read the new healthquestions, the reply was that theyhad heard it all before! Would theysay this in front of people receivingtheir donations? I don’t think so.Just think if this was a member ofyour family.

I would like to tell my fellowdonors that were it not for theregular screening and questions,several of my colleagues over theyears could have been very ill.

So if you’re told you cannotdonate, please don’t be aggressiveor upset. It just goes to prove thatthese questions are worthanswering, even for us hardydonors who’ve been donating 20-40 odd years.

And please, to the lady on thenext bed at my last donation, a tip –please don’t complain to thevoluntary lady who gives out therefreshments. These must cost theNHS quite a lot of cash.BERNICE PHILLIPS

WESTBURY ON TRYM

Editor’s response The article onpages 8 and 9 in this issuecontains information about theDonor Health Check.

How do they do it?Congratulations to Mr and MrsHolmes from Louth (Page 5 Springedition) on their magnificentnumber of over 500 donationseach. I have rarely missed a sessionsince 1965 yet I have only reached 79 donations. How have theymanaged this feat, please?P D LLOYD

READING

Editor’s response: For many years,both Mr and Mrs Holmesdonated plasma by apheresis.This type of donation, using amachine called a cell separator,meant that only the plasma was

STREET LIFE Award winning website UpMyStreet, the UK’s leadingonline local information resource, has teamed up with NBS to makegiving blood even easier. UpMyStreet has a direct link from itswebsite to the session search pages on the NBS’ own websitewww.blood.co.uk

With one click from www.upmystreet.com potential and regularblood donors can locate donor centres near to their home or office, withthe help of a map to make the journey even easier. To find your nearestdonor centre, or to learn more about how you can support yourcommunity, log on to www.upmystreet.com and enter your postcode.

collected and the red cellsreturned to the donor. As thebody replaces plasma in 24 hoursthey were able to donate morefrequently. Mrs Holmes has nowmade two more donationsbringing her total to 526.

An apology from the editorI received several letters pointingout the poor safety message givenout by a photograph in the lastissue. This showed baby Caitlin in abicycle basket and Anneka Riceastride the bicycle without a cyclehelmet on.

Although the photographswere posed and Caitlin andAnneka did not move off the spot Iaccept our readers’ point and willlook more carefully at the subjectsin future photographs.

We answer some of your questions about donating

Due to shortage of space not all publishedletters are printed in full. Whilst we welcome your letters, we cannot guaran-tee a reply or to publish them. However,any complaints raised will be respondedto via our complaints procedure.

from giving blood until 12 monthsafter you have finished yourtreatment. If you are taking any kind ofmedication for an illness orcomplaint, that illness may preventyou giving blood.

QI have asthma and havebeen told by a friend that

this stops me giving blood.

AWe’ve recently changed ourcriteria regarding steroid-

based inhalers. If you use a mild dosage inhalerwith a steroid as one of thecomponents for preventativereasons, you are now able todonate. If you have regular attacks orcombine inhalers this may preventyou. If you have asthma, pleasebring all your inhalers with youwhen you come to give blood,then we can check for you. A

NSW

ER T

O B

ILLY

PU

ZZLE

PA

GE

15: 1

&4,

2&

5, 3

&6

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 13Don’t forget the Helpline number 0845 7 711 711

Eddie Mays joined theNational Blood Service threeand a half years ago. His

average working day is long, 11 to12 hours, but he works only threedays a week.

Eddie is a member of the HitherGreen 1 team. The team consists of24 people, but only 14 are neededon any one day. Says Eddie, "Theteam staff can be rostered ondifferent days, so wework with differentpeople which makes itinteresting". Togetherthey collect over28,000 units of bloodeach year, which isenough to supply allthe patients at StGeorge’s Hospital inTooting with 7,000units to spare.

Eddie has been trained by theNBS to be a multiskilled member of the collection team. So his job hasa lot of variety, and means he can be deployed where the session needs him depending on the queue.

Today the team are going toOrpington in Kent. At 11.15amEddie arrives for work, he is drivingthe lorry so he checks his vehicle,loads all the necessary suppliesfrom blood packs to orange juiceand by noon he’s on his way.

Destination KentArriving at Orpington, he is met bythe rest of the team, who havetravelled to the session by mini bus.The team unload the equipmentand set up the hall ready for thesession. Due to the traffic they arerunning a bit late, so the teamworks quickly. This is where thegood team spirit helps.

Before the session starts Eddieand his team manager visit a

nearby company. The company aregetting together with othercompanies to hold a dedicatedsession. The combined workforceof 1000 is enough to provide the120 donors this team needs on theday. So now they’re checking if theroom offered for the session is OK.

The room available is up a steepflight of stairs and there’s no liftavailable. Eddie explains that theteam won’t be able to safely carrytheir equipment in and out. Happilythere is an ideal area on the groundfloor which matches the criteria

MY LIFE: Eddie Mays DONOR CARER – LONDON

All in a long day’s workEddie loves his job asa donor carer, despitethe long hours.Whether it’s checkingout new venues, shifting equipment orchatting to donors

(see box) so with enough donorsand the right space the session canbe planned.

At 2.00pm the Orpingtonsession opens. Eddie is at thecomputer registering donors. It’s abusy session, as usual many donorshave arrived early, swelling thequeue. Eddie likes working withpeople, "There’s a lot of banter

with both donors and staff. Themajority of donors like to see thatstaff enjoy themselves working.Most days I see donors I know orwho know me from previoussessions."

By 3.30pm the early rush is over,the flow of donors is steady and thequeue has reduced, so Eddie helpsby the beds. The last afternoondonor leaves at 5.00pm, the sametime as the afternoon’s donationsare on their way to the blood centreto be processed and tested.

PULSE systemIt is time for a break. Then Eddie’sback at work at 5.30pm. He is nowon the ‘finger prick’ tests, ensuringdonors have sufficient iron in theirblood to donate. Once the initial‘rush’ has passed the session issteady until it closes at 8.00pm.

Whilst the final donor is havinga cup of tea Eddie is helping'reconcile' the day’s donations. This

is to make sure that alldonations and samplesare checked against theaccompanying paper-work before beingentered into the NBScomputer system, PULSE.

The team clear thehall, reload all theequipment and return tobase, arriving back at

9.30pm. It’s been more than 10hours since he started but Eddiesays the variety of work makes theday pass quickly. "I use lots ofdifferent skills so each day isdifferent, which makes it veryenjoyable. I am looking forward tolearning further skills."

Eddie gets home just in time forNews at Ten.

All in a day’s work for Eddie:keeping the paperwork up-to-date (above), helping unloadcome rain or shine, and handingover the afternoon’s donationsto the driver (below).

STEV

E LY

NE

Giving blood is not something that can take placeanywhere. Obviously, the venue needs to be clean,dry, warm, have running water and power, and beeasy to evacuate in an emergency.

What else? The main consideration is location,location, location – it needs to be in the right place toattract blood donors, but not too close to anothersession venue.

Good parking or good public transport access isessential, as well as easy access for the equipment.

The size and shape of the space is also important.For an average session we need a regular shape just abit bigger than a badminton court. The ability toregulate the rooms temperature is also important.Too cold and it is difficult to find the donors veins, toowarm and we tend to get donors fainting!

What makes an ideal venue?

New donorawardsFor people like David, who havebeen dedicated blood donorsfor years, we like to give a smalltoken of our appreciation. Afterconsulting donors, in January2002 we introduced a newnational awards policy, andresponse to the scheme hasbeen enthusiastic.

The pen awarded to thosecompleting their 50th donationhas been a particular hit. Onedonor from Essex wrote, "Thankyou very much for my pen andgold award; it was very nice tobe appreciated. It will be anheirloom for my grandchildrento keep." It’s nice to think thesepens will be kept for years tocome.

We’ve had the odd hitchwith supplies of awards.Sometimes we have run out ofstock, because of the initial high demand, or the teams themselves have run shortbecause of so many veterandonors turning up at a session!Please accept our apologies forthis. If your award was not available last time, it should bethere next time around.

DONOR/RECIPIENT

These symptoms had continued forover a year when his wifepersuaded him to go to the doctor.In 2001 he was diagnosed withmantel cell lymphoma, a littleknown cancer of the lymphaticsystem. The prognosis wasuncertain and David beganchemotherapy treatment atNorwich and Norfolk Hospital. Thislasted from May until November.

In November David underwenta stem cell harvest in preparationfor a transplant using his own stemcells. The stem cells, (immature cellsthat grow into bone marrow) wereremoved from his blood by a cellseparator (apheresis) machine. Theharvested cells were tested andprocessed at the NBS Cambridge

Centre, then stored thereat –188 degrees C untilready for transplanting.

David had moretreatment in Decemberincluding three days ofintensive chemotherapythat destroyed his bone marrow. He wasthen ready for his stem cell transplant. His ownstem cells were transfused

into him, and then began the lengthyprocess of recovery.

Vital transfusionsDavid needed blood and platelettransfusions, vital to enable himundertake the chemotherapy andtransplant. Following the transplantDavid had to have regular bloodtests to check the cells weregrafting.

He says: “The next couple ofmonths I was convalescing, tryingto get back to normal. I couldn’t mixwith people either, because anylittle cough or cold would be verydamaging. This was all very foreignto me as I’m an outgoing gregarioustype.”

David knows his lymphoma is

14 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 Become a bone marrow donor call 0845 7 711 711

David Cooke is well-knownin Norwich for his regularspot on Radio Norfolk

and the huge toy collection whichhe exhibits at the BressinghamSteam Museum (below).

But his hobby was put on holdduring his treatment for a rare formof cancer. This treatment has madeDavid, a life-long donor himself, arecipient whose recovery wouldnot have been possible withoutdonated blood.

It was back in 1963, when hisfather needed blood for apioneering operation to remove abrain tumour, that David decided togive his first pint . During the nextthirty three years David received hisbronze, silver and gold badges ashis donations passed the 10, 25and 50 marks. In 1996 he retiredfrom donating having given a totalof 70 donations.

First symptomsFour years later he developed a rashwhich came and went, he was also losing weight but thought itwas because he was keeping fit.

Life-saving transplant for DavidDavid Cooke’s hugetoy collection had totake a back seatwhen he developed arare form of cancer.But thanks to a stemcell transplant Davidcan now get back tohis favourite hobby

DON”T FORGETYou can find sessions on

BBC2 CEEFAXp465

it’s quick and easy!

NIC

K D

IGG

ORY

treatable, but not as yet curable. He describes himself as a “Get upand go” type of person and actively supports the LymphomaAssociation, which he says has been“very good” to him, and he hasraised £7,200 for them so far.

Says David: ”Following myfather’s operation at AddenbrokesHospital in Cambridge, I wasdelighted to become a blood donorand continue to donate for nearly40 years. I was also pleased thatblood and platelets were there tohelp me following my transplantlast December.”

STEV

ELY

NE

A donor himself forover 30 years, Davidwas grateful whendonors helped him

Each year 9,500 people arediagnosed with lymphoma. For further information contact theLymphoma Association onwww.lymphoma.org.uk or phone0808 808 5555.

THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 15You can find session details on BBC2 Ceefax page 465

NBS INFORMATION

If you need any information about givingblood, just call the Donor Helpline and staffwill answer your queries on:

• Where you can give blood locally• Whether you are able to give blood• Your donor session details• Becoming a bone marrow donor• How to become a platelet donor• Medical aspects of giving blood• How travelling abroad might affect you

giving blood• Any other general donor mattersRemember, you can call the Helpline to tell us ifyou have moved house or changed employers– we don't want to lose you!

Our Donor Helpline is open for generalenquiries 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

DON’T FORGET BBC2 Ceefax page 465 will giveyou details of the next two days’ blood donorsessions in your TV region.

For all your enquiries the Donor Helpline number is

0845 7 711 711ALL CALLS ARE CHARGED AT LOCAL CALL RATE

Permanent Blood Donor Sites If, for any reason, your local donor session is no longer suitable, thenit may be more convenient for you to attend one of our permanentBlood Donor Sites. Please call the Donor Helpline to find out thedetails of the centres listed here:

LONDON Edgware, Tooting, West End

NORTH Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield

NORTH EAST Newcastle-upon-Tyne

NORTH WEST Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester

MIDLANDS& Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Oxford,SOUTH Stoke-on-Trent

SOUTH EAST Luton, Cambridge, Brentwood

SOUTH WEST Bristol, Gloucester, Plymouth, Southampton

We always need new donors. So please, if you are not adonor, fill out the coupon opposite, place it in an envelope and send it to National Blood Service,FREEPOST, 75 Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 7YB, or call0845 7 711 711 now to enrol as a blood donor.

SURNAME

Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss

FIRST NAME

DATE OF BIRTH / /

ADDRESS

POSTCODE

DAYTIME PHONE No

To give blood you need to be in good health, aged 17 to 60 and weigh over 7st 12lbs/50kg. Please send this coupon to the address opposite. MO6

Answers on page 12

KIDS PUZZLE CORNER

M A T C H

Billy is showing off his footballing skills.Each picture has a matching twin.

Draw a line between thematching pictures.

1

2

3

4

5

6

I would like to join the NHS Blood Donor Register as someone who may be contacted and wouldbe prepared to donate blood. I understand that the National Blood Service (NBS) or its partnersmay phone, write or otherwise contact me with details of local donor sessions. I agree to the NBSholding my personal details on their donor database and processing this information as necessaryfor the proper administration of the NBS

Thanks to your blood donations, Sickle Cellsufferers can enjoy more from life, like DianeCrawford who has been able to experience thejoys of motherhood with her daughter Chi

Diane’s little miracle

Diane Crawford fromTooting, South London,has Sickle Cell Anaemia.

From childhood she has neededtreatment and blood transfusionswhen she has a ‘crisis’. Thesetransfusions allowed her thechance to have a baby. Whilstpregnant, with her daughter Chi,Diane needed regular blood transfusions to help save her life.In total Diane received 19 units ofblood during her pregnancy.

What is Sickle Cell?Sickle Cell Anaemia is a seriouscondition whose side effects aresevere chronic anaemia andsusceptibility to infection. Sickle Cellmainly affects people of African andCaribbean descent, but it is alsofound in those from India, theMiddle East, as well as Europeans ofMediterranean origin.

the African–Carribean, Asian(Indian sub-continent), Hispanic,Middle Eastern (Arab), Greek,Turkish, Jewish and Oriental(Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, Thai,Indonesian or Nepalese) donors areespecially needed.

By donating three times a yearand encouraging others to donateyou will help ensure that blood andblood products are readily availablefor all patients.

Since February this year, therehas been a change in the guidelinesfor the deferral of donors who havebeen resident in areas of malarialrisk. The new deferral now onlyapplies to people who have livedfor a continuous period of 6months or more, at any time in theirlives, in some parts of Africa andPapua New Guinea. For travellersvisiting an ‘at risk’ area theguidelines are unchanged.

We hope that this change, alongwith increased awareness of theneed for donors from allcommunities, will help us to achievea blood donor base that continuesto meet the needs of all patients.

NEWS EXTRA

16 THE DONOR AUTUMN 2002 Become a bone marrow donor call 0845 7 711 711

Left and below: Transfusionsthroughout her pregnancyenabled Diane to have herdaughter, Chi, now two years old

Sickle Cell is an hereditarydisease. If you inherit this genefrom just one parent, you aredescribed as having Sickle Cell Trait,it won’t cause you any healthproblems but can affect yourchildren. If both parents are carriersthere is a one in four chance of theirchild having Sickle Cell Anaemia.This won’t happen if only oneparent is a carrier.

Donors have made a realdifference to Diane. She says:"Blood donors gave me the chance

to have a family. Now I want to playmy part in encouraging more peoplefrom the wider community to helpothers like me by giving blood."

The frequency of the four maingroups O, A, B and AB varies inpopulations throughout the world.In the UK, although not in everycase, the rarer blood groups areoften found in donors with similar

ethnic backgrounds. For example,in the UK, over all just 9% of thepopulation are B group. Yet inpeople from an Asian background,25% have this blood group.

Many people, like Diane, withrare blood groups or suffering fromconditions which require regularblood such as thalassaemia,leukaemia and those undergoingchemotherapy for cancer, needclosely matched blood. If they havea rarer group, we do sometimesstruggle to get a perfect match forthem.

Please lend a handWe need donors from allcommunities to help meet thedemand for blood. Members of

STEV

E LY

NE

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Ethnic OriginWe’ll shortly be including aninsert with your invitation letterasking you to fill in details of yourethnic origin on your DonorHealth Check form. Why do weneed this information?

Firstly, as Diane’s story shows,understanding the ethnic origin ofdonors is medically important. Itmakes it easier to find blood fromparticular ethnic groups whichcan be matched to those in needwho have rare blood groups.

Secondly, the Race Relations(Amendment) Act 2000 meanswe have to monitor theaccessibility of our services to allcommunities, including how wellwe provide opportunities todonate blood. We want to ensurethat we are encouraging everyonein the UK to give blood. To do thiswe need to understand the ethnicorigins of all existing donors.

Your co-operation will betruly appreciated. Should youwish to withhold thisinformation you can indicate thison the form, and of course thiswill be respected.

We have recently introduced a test to screen donors for Sickle Cell.Donors selected for testing will also be tested for rarer bloodgroups, which are more commonly found in people from the sameethnic background. Their donations are essential to help us providecompatible blood for patients of these blood groups. If your testshows the presence of Sickle Cell Trait, we will write and let youknow. You will certainly be eligible to continue donating.

New test for Sickle Cell