Blood and plasma donation
This month, embrace the opportunity to give back to your community. Become a blood or plasma donor. Your blood can be there when someone needs it most. The need for blood and plasma is constant. Encourage your family and friends to donate with you and start a lifesaving tradition together. Medication made from plasma saves and improves the lives of thousands of people across Canada. For many patients, these medications are their only available treatment. Your plasma donation can become someone’s lifesaving medication. Each year, it takes thousands of donors to save the lives of patients across Canada.
O-negative blood donation
If your blood type is O-negative, please donate regularly. Your donations are invaluable. If you have O-negative blood, you’re known as a universal donor. Your donation can be given to any patient, regardless of blood type. In emergency situations, when there’s no time to confirm a patient’s blood type, O-negative blood can mean the difference between life and death. O-negative blood is always in high demand and short supply.
Check your eligibility again
We are continuously reviewing and updating our donor screening criteria. You may be eligible now, even if you weren’t before. Thousands of people across Canada who spent time in countries affected by the human variant of ‘mad cow’ disease are now eligible to donate blood and plasma. More information about this historic change is on our website. Recent changes in eligibility criteria are listed on our website.
All ways to give
- We connect blood, plasma, stem cell, and organ donors to people who need them. We can’t do it without you.
- If you’re already a blood donor or can’t donate, you can make all the difference by encouraging others to book an appointment. It takes donors of all kinds to keep Canada’s Lifeline strong.
- If you’re between 17 and 35, you can register as a potential stem cell donor on Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry. Over 75 per cent of patients can’t find a stem cell match within their family and must rely on a volunteer donor.
- You can also register your intent to donate your organs and tissues, volunteer your time, or make a financial donation.
- For more information on all the ways you can join Canada’s Lifeline, please visit blood.ca
Book your blood or plasma donation by downloading the GiveBlood app, calling 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or booking now at blood.ca. You can also register to become a stem cell donor or organ and tissue donor at blood.ca
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