Blood for Life Cycle
Wednesday 24th April 2013
Blood for Life Cycle 2013 aims to recruit blood donors
Stephen Roe is a Traffic Corps Garda based in Cork City. His work brings him to many serious road crashes, to workplace accidents, to the scenes of violent assaults, and to other places where people sustain injuries in circumstances which they never foresee or expect.
Very often these people need urgent hospital treatment.
And very often they need blood too.
Around 1,000 people receive blood transfusions in Irelandevery week. Yet, only a fraction of the population are blood donors -- around three per cent. Through his work, Stephen Roe has come to appreciate the importance of giving blood.
But he never expected it to play such a critical role within his own family. In March, 2005, Stephen Roe's son Alex was diagnosed with leukaemia. Five years of treatment, of fighting for life, followed. During that time, 50 blood transfusions kept Alex alive, before he finally lost his battle.
Alex died on May 31, 2010. He was 21.
"Without blood donors, Alex would have died much sooner," says Stephen. "But, thanks to the generosity of their donations, we got to enjoy and love Alex for a further five years. Donating blood is an extraordinary gift. I wish that people who don't give blood would consider that, and think about becoming blood donors."
On April 26, Stephen Roe will lead a team of volunteer cyclists from among his garda colleagues in Corkon a 660-kilometre cycle from Malin Head to Mizen Head.
It's a charity cycle, but instead of seeking sponsorship and raising funds, the cyclists aim to recruit blood donors.
Their initial goal of recruiting 660 new donors -- one for every kilometre of the journey -- has already been surpassed.
Stephen Roe is now appealing to people who haven't donated blood before, as well as to people who previously donated but have lapsed, to give a pint of blood and become part of the Blood for Life Cycle 2013.
"One pint of blood can save three people's lives," says Stephen Roe. "But up to 150,000 donations are required every year in Irelandand each donation only lasts a month, so it's vital that blood banks are kept topped up.
"When Alex required blood, we just expected it to be there. We never realised how volatile the blood supply actually is. At any given time there is only between three and five days blood supply for the entire country."
Irish Blood Transfusion Service Chief Executive Andy Kelly has joined Stephen Roe to encourage people to support the Blood for Life Cycle 2013 by signing up as blood donors.
"The IBTS relies on volunteer donors to make sure that blood is there for patients when they need it," said Andy Kelly. "We are asking people to show their solidarity to Stephen and his colleagues by pledging to give blood and then fulfilling that pledge. Together we can make a difference to so many families."
Please support the Blood for Life Cycle 2013, by pledging a pint of blood on the IBTS facebook page, www.facebook.com/giveblood; by signing up as a blood donor at www.ibts.ie<http://www.ibts.ie>; or simply by calling to your local blood donor clinic and pledging a pint of blood to the Blood for Life Cycle 2013.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
* Schedule: The Blood for Life Cycle 2013 will be completed over four days: Saturday, April 27, Malin to Sligo(180km); Sunday, April 28, Sligoto Gort (175km); Monday, April 29, Gort to Cork City(170km); Tuesday, April 30, Mizen Head to Cork City(130 km).
