Blood recipient Carla Riley-Sloan and her dog Benjamin. (rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By James Dunn

know your type

Sharing the life-saving impact of donating blood

Feb 4, 2020 | 6:46 PM

Carla Riley-Sloan wouldn’t be here today if not for the incredible generosity of blood donors.

“For me, it saved my life,” she says. “If people didn’t donate blood, I wouldn’t be here. People who donate blood are heroes, there’s just no two ways about it.”

The Red Deer woman was in a serious vehicle collision in 2004. She suffered brain damage and spinal trauma and needed multiple blood products to survive.

Riley-Sloan, who shared her story during a Canadian Blood Services event Tuesday at RDC, says people who fear of medical procedures and needles need to look at the bigger picture and know the true importance of giving blood.

“I understand the fear of needles, I have a fear of needles as well. But, being able to look in the mirror and say ‘I saved a life today’, that I think is beyond even the small, little fear of getting a poke with a needle, being able to save a life is worth anything. You never know when it might be your mom, your dad, your brother, or even yourself. Nobody knows when they’re going to need blood.”

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Marissa Stryker with Canadian Blood Services in Red Deer says that the need for blood donors is critical, with over 110,000 new blood donors needed in Canada this year.

“Less than 4% of eligible Canadians donate, and we’re really trying to hit the younger demographic too so that’s why we’re at Red Deer College, they’ve always been a huge supporter of us, and students here are so community minded, so we’ve had an incredible response.”

RDC competed against other post-secondary institutions across Canada for a blood typing event and encouraging those taking part to consider fully donating. Canadian Blood Services in Red Deer has a goal of typing 150 people and recruiting 40 new donors. The prairie region is hoping to get 3,000 people typed.

Although every blood type is needed, the most sought after is O-negative.

“That’s the type we always take a lot more seriously, we have a conversation with them,” says Stryker. “They’re the universal donor, they are able to give their blood to all types, and in emergency situations where seconds count, we use O-negative for those people.”

Anyone wishing to make a blood donation can visit blood.ca, use the “Give Blood” mobile app or call 1-888-2-DONATE.