Every 80 seconds, a person in Québec needs blood.
Members of the Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind team recently donated blood as part of a local collection drive. Team members Jesse, Hwoichin, and Marc-Antoine, donated more than 1.5L of blood—enough to help eight people!
But there’s still work to be done. Every year, hospitals in Québec use nearly 250,000 blood bags, and only 3% of eligible Québecers’ blood donations contribute to the reserve.
Donating blood is a life-saving act. However, thousands more donations are needed. The province requires a minimum of 1,000 daily donations to cover the population.
“The process takes less than one hour. Knowing what donating just one hour of my time does is priceless,” says Marc-Antoine Landry, Assistant Facility Manager at Mont Sainte-Margurite Wind.
We’re proud of our team members and their willingness to help those in need. Recipients of these essential donations include children with immunodeficiency diseases, victims of serious accidents, women who experienced complications during childbirth, and people with hemophilia (to name a few).
Héma-Québec’s website helpfully explains the difference in donation types as well. For example, during apheresis, platelet, and plasma donations, a machine collects and separates the components from the donor’s blood before returning unused components to the donor.
People who are interested in helping maintain Québec’s blood supply can contribute in numerous ways. Along with donating apheresis, platelets, or plasma, people can also volunteer to support local blood drives.
Visit the Héma-Québec website to learn more about how you can donate or volunteer at a blood drive near you!