This Blood Problem

In a December blog I attempted to highlight the importance of giving blood. I also tried in a limited way to explain the differences in blood group and type and the significance. On Tuesday February 7, 2006, in a article in the Observer, Ken Chaplin shared his "No Blood close call " experience.

It is an interesting read so if you missed it please take the time to look at it. It turns out that Ken Chaplin's blood type is A- which is a one of the rarer types and he was now in need. The Blood Bank in Jamaica generally has limited supplies of blood so it was no surprise that there was a problem providing the A- blood requested. The fact that Ken Chaplin was a blood donor was of no help as he found himself in a situation where he had to turn to the media to appeal to other blood donors to come forward in his time of need. To the credit of his friends and other Jamaicans they did.

One such donor is a close of friend of mine who has the rare blood type O-. She can donate to anyone but if ever needs blood the donor must be O-. When she heard of need for Blood Bank need for donations of A- or O- she called me and asked me to carry her to Blood Bank.

This Ken Chaplin story has once again highlighted how serious this blood issue can be. My friend is a regular donor. I encourage all to give blood at least once a year. My next donation will be in March 2006 when will yours be?

NB:

The quote below from the article has an error.

"Then some started visiting the Blood Bank to donate blood, but all except one donation did not fall within the category of my rare type. The one came from the brother of a friend who dashed from his home in Portmore to the Blood Bank in Kingston one morning to donate the blood, and he took the receipt to the hospital."

Based on the tone of the article and a sentence further down, it is clear that it was only one unit matched his type.

No Blood Close Call - Jamaica Observer