HOW BLOOD DONORS SAVED CHARLOTTE’S LIFE
—
GIVE BLOOD. GIVE LIFE.
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
Book now to
donate Easter
long weekend
It’s not too early to help ensure patients
get the life-saving blood they need
this Easter.
With many donors away over the long weekend
13–17 April, your donation is even more vital.
Visit donateblood.com.au or call 13 14 95
to book your Easter donation.
SUMMER 2017
—
01
—
PINT-SIZED CANCER
SURVIVOR BRINGS BIG
BLOOD MESSAGE
03
—
WHY WE’RE ALWAYS
ON THE HUNT FOR NEW
DONORS
05
—
FACES OF DONATION
06
—
RED25
11
—
AUSTRALIA’S RAREST
BLOOD DONORS
13
—
DONORS SHARE THEIR
2017 ASPIRATIONS
15
—
LIFE-CHANGING PLASMA
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
PINT-SIZED CAN
BRINGS BIG
BLOOD
MESSAGE
Thank you: Charlotte Rataj’s life was changed by the generosity of blood donors.
C
harlotte Rataj was only three years
old when she was diagnosed with
leukaemia. Four years on and the
bubbly seven year old from Tasmania
is one of 12 blood recipients starring in the
Blood Service’s national advertising campaign.
Charlotte’s mum, Tanya Rataj, said she first
noticed a pea-sized lump behind her toddler’s
ear in April 2012. Charlotte’s tiredness, loss of
appetite and lingering cough prompted a visit
to the doctor, but it was a week later when
they took her to hospital that the diagnosis
was made.
Tests revealed Charlotte had leukaemia
and she started chemotherapy in Hobart
the next day.
Tanya said the family saw first-hand just
how important blood donations were.
“Charlotte had two and a half years of
treatment and during that time, when she was
at her lowest, she was so fortunate to get
blood products — it was just amazing to see
the difference they made,” Tanya said.
Charlotte fronts our national campaign by
starring in the new television and radio
commercials that showcase the very real
moments she now gets to have thanks to
blood donors.
“We know this is going to help so many people
and that’s what we want to do. We also want
to say a great big thank you to all the blood
donors — you’re amazing!” Tanya said.
Speaking about the campaign, the Blood
Service’s Acting National Marketing Director,
Ben Scales, said the campaign brought blood
recipients into the spotlight.
“We’re so excited to share Charlotte’s story
with our blood donors and the Australian
community,” Ben said.
We know this is going to help so many
people and that’s what we want to do.
We also want to say a great big thank you
to all the blood donors — you’re amazing!
“Charlotte was very sick a few years ago
with leukaemia and used a lot of blood
products and this campaign is about
showcasing the moments Charlotte is able
to now have.”
“She gets to play with her family, she gets to
hug them, she gets to do all the things that
little kids do — thanks to blood donors.”
“We’ve received some amazing feedback
since we launched our SMS notification to
donors about where their blood donation
went, and this campaign taps into the very
real difference those donations make to
Aussie patients.”
“Every single recipient in all of our campaigns
is here thanks to the generosity of blood
donors. We want to show how blood donation
impacts, and ultimately saves, the lives of real
people.”
But it’s not just Charlotte who has benefited
from the generosity of blood donors, with
thousands of Australians relying on blood
products to survive.
“No one expects they or a loved one will need
blood in their lifetime but the reality is one in
three Aussies will,” Ben continued.
“Charlotte is just one of thousands of
Australians whose lives have been saved
through generous blood donations.
“In around an hour you can give a life-saving
donation that will make a real difference to a
real person — just like Charlotte.”
The Blood Service hopes the new campaign
will encourage more people to donate blood.
LIFE
SUMMER 2017
ANCER SURVIVOR
WHY WE’RE
ALWAYS ON THE
HUNT FOR NEW DONORS
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
Detecting new donors: Blood Service nursing assistant Pamela O’Neill with new donor Grace Yao.
It takes one blood donation every eight
seconds to meet the ongoing blood
needs of patients across the country.
Currently, only 1 in 30 Australians donates
blood. That’s around 500,000 people who
regularly roll up their sleeves and give one
of the most precious gifts of all: a donation
of blood that can help save up to three lives.
It may sound like a lot, but what it translates
to is less than 3 per cent of our national
population are responsible for supplying
1.3 million blood donations every year.
With one in three people likely to need blood
in their lifetime and with demand for plasma
increasing every year, it’s no wonder we’re
always in need of new donors.
Every year around 150,000 donors stop
donating blood for a wide range of reasons.
Sometimes life gets too busy or often medical
issues prevent regular donors from returning.
A few special donors even reach the retirement
age of 81 and retire from donating blood after
a lifetime of giving.
To ensure we can continue to meet the
changing demand for blood, and to fill the
gap left behind by those donors who are no
longer able to give, the Blood Service aims to
recruit at least 100,000 new donors over the
next 12 months.
When you consider an estimated nine
million Australians are eligible to donate
blood, it shouldn’t be a hard ask.
According to the latest statistics, some Aussies
are more willing than others to sign up to save
lives. When it comes to first-time donors,
women are well and truly leading the battle
of the sexes. Data shows that 32-year-old
females account for the highest number
of new blood donors.
LIFE
SUMMER 2017
To even the stakes, the Blood Service is this
year hoping to boost the number of new male
blood donors.
O negative donors are also high on the list of
new donors in demand. O negative donors are
always needed because their blood can be
given to any patient in an emergency. Known
as the universal blood type, it’s always in high
demand by hospitals. In Australia only 9 per
cent of our national population have O negative
blood, which means patients rely heavily on
these donors.
Similarly, people with AB type blood have
universal plasma. AB plasma is in high
demand because, like O negative blood, it can
be given to anyone in an emergency. The AB
blood type is the rarest blood type in Australia,
accounting for only 3 per cent of the
population, meaning new AB plasma donors
are always needed.
Of course, not everyone knows their blood
type and at least half the population is female.
An ideal new blood donor is anyone who,
irrespective of blood type or gender, is aged
between 16 and 70, healthy, eligible to donate
blood and willing to give up some time and a
bit of blood to save someone’s life.
Summer is the perfect time to sign up to save
lives, which is why we’re putting the call out
now for more new blood donors. Boosting our
donor numbers now means we have more
eligible donors who can give during the critical
winter period, a time when many of our usual
donors can’t donate because of colds or flu.
So next time you make a date to donate, why
not bring a friend who’s never donated before
as a ‘plus one’. After all, they’ll be helping to
share the load and, as you know, it only takes
an hour of time and saves three lives.
It takes one
blood donation
every eight
seconds to
meet the
ongoing blood
needs of
patients
across the
country.
FACES OF
DONATION
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
Family tradition: South Australian dad Adam Christopher required blood last year
following an undiagnosed stomach ulcer. He has recovered well but is unable to increase his
blood donation tally of 55 due to a surgical stent. Instead, 17-year-old Zoe has vowed to
continue her father’s legacy: “I just want to help anyone in the same situation because
without donations my dad might not be here”.
very grateful teddy: Sadie Aird and her teddy dropped into the Regent Blood Donor
A
Centre in Adelaide recently to thank the complete strangers who helped her continue
chemotherapy treatment for leukaemia over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Thousands of generous Australians responded to the Blood Service’s call for blood
donations over the festive season.
Over 2,000 lives saved: for 42 years Murray
Burns has wanted to “do my little bit for society”
by donating blood. Last month that “little bit”
tallied up to a total of 700 life-saving blood
donations. Murray is only the second Victorian
to reach this amazing milestone.
School Historian: John Waterhouse with Red25
youth ambassadors from Beaconhills College.
STUDENTS
MAKE DONATION
HISTORY
In 1993, in response to TV ads urgently
calling for blood donors, Rebecca Finn,
a year 10 student at Beaconhills College
in Pakenham, Victoria, decided to act.
She put a notice in the student bulletin
asking for volunteers for the next Blood
Service visit to the Pakenham Hall.
Seven students responded and were
driven there by the school’s Community
Service Coordinator, John Waterhouse.
Little did Rebecca and John know that they
had set something in motion that would
continue for 24 years. Since that first visit,
Beaconhills College students across three
campuses have given over 2,700 donations.
Much of this momentum has been due to
John, who is now retiring from his post as
School Historian. He has plenty of donation
stories, including the record of seven
donations set by Luke Giles and donation
‘races’ with chocolate awarded for the fastest
donation time (to the chagrin of the nurses!).
The school has had over 100 Blood Service
youth ambassadors. Each year up
to five students from each campus attend
our ambassador training day, always a
highlight for the students.
“We can’t thank the community relations
officers enough for all their support and
encouragement, especially Sue Karvis and
Sarah Lacey”, said John.
“It has been a delight to support the Red
Cross Blood Service over this period and to
give our students another small way in which
they can contribute positively to their
community.
“Students will continue to have an
opportunity to become new donors by visiting
a local centre during school time, just as in
the old days. So I hope that Beaconhills will
still be supporting the Blood Service at the
50-year mark.”
To learn more about schools and donation visit donateblood.com.au/red25#schools-and-students
To join Red25 or learn more, call 1300 886 524 or visit donateblood.com.au/red25
RIVALS BATTLE
IT OUT
Arch blood-donation rivals have again
gone head to head (or arm to arm) in the
annual Bundy Blood Battle.
Bundy ‘Battlers’ smashed their goal of 1,000
donations, giving 1,110 donations and saving
up to 3,330 lives!
Every November Red25 groups from all over
Bundaberg compete to give the most
donations. For the past three years
Bundaberg Regional Council have taken the
title, but this year Wide Bay Hospital and
Health Service (WBHHS) was determined to
challenge them.
Accepting the 2016 shield, councillor David
Batt said, “While it is nice to win the Bundy
Blood Battle shield, the greater satisfaction
comes from knowing that we have contributed
to saving the lives of so many people.”
“It might be appealing to our spirit of
competition but really the winners are the
people who rely on us for blood transfusions,”
said Christina Ongley, Director of
Communications at WBHHS.
“The majority of people who need life-saving
blood transfusions are people such as cancer
patients and surgical patients, so they’re
pretty close to our hearts, not just as health
professionals but also as ordinary family
members. Almost all of us know someone
who’s needed to receive blood, so this is our
chance to give back.”
Ultimately, Bundaberg Regional Council did
edge out WBHHS for the win, but the real
winners are Australia’s patients: together, the
Blood battler: Bundaberg councillor David Batt (left) with
Red25 team coordinator Robyn Silcox and the Blood
Service’s Dean Krueger.
On a regular workday last year workers
at the Department of Environment, Water
and Natural Resources (DEWNR) were
greeted by the smiling faces of Billy
Blood Drop and our Red25 employees
for a pledging event at their Adelaide
office building.
Meeting
Billy: DEWNR
employees (l-r)
Catherine Cox,
Josephine De
Jager, DEWNR
Red25
Coordinator Jo
MitchellSmith, Birgitte
Sorensen and
Blood Service
Community
Relations
Officer David
McFarlane.
On the day, the DEWNR team proved that
blood is thicker than water! At the event 10
new donors enrolled to donate, six people
pledged to donate and a whopping 22
employees who were already blood donors
signed up for the DEWNR Red25 group.
The day’s activities also included a Red25
presentation at a lunch event, where DEWNR
employees had a chance to learn more about
blood donation.
BLOOD THICKER
THAN WATER
Free Red25 events like this are a great way to
learn more and bring donors on board. If you
would like Billy and the Red25 team to visit
your workplace, school, community group or
sports club, contact us on 1300 886 524.
To join Red25 or learn more, call 1300 886 524 or visit donateblood.com.au/red25
Blood Drive: Sunshine Coast police flex their donating arms for a good cause.
SUNSHINE COAST POLICE
DONATE FOR DONNA
Sunshine Coast police are rallying
together for one of their own after
Senior Constable Donna Henwood was
recently diagnosed with acute myeloid
leukaemia, just four years after beating
bowel cancer.
Coast was nothing short of amazing,” said
Senior Constable Murphy.
Local Caloundra officer Senior Constable
Amanda Murphy organised ‘Donate for
Donna’, a blood and bone marrow donation
drive, to help show their support for Senior
Constable Henwood.
The police officers have been donating across
the Sunshine Coast, including at the
Maroochydore and Nambour Blood Donor
Centres as well as the Sunshine Coast Mobile
Donor Centre.
The generosity of the local officers was
beyond what anyone expected, with the initial
goal of 100 Queensland Police Service
officers donating by December being blitzed
just three weeks after the blood drive started
on 25 October.
“They have helped to fill much needed
appointments on the Sunshine Coast and
encouraged some of their colleagues to
become first-time blood donors,” said Senior
Constable Murphy.
“Within three weeks we saw over 100 officers
support both their colleague and the wider
community by giving blood. Their leadership
and comradery is an inspiration.”
“The support we received from the
Queensland Police Service on the Sunshine
To join Red25 or learn more, call 1300 886 524 or visit donateblood.com.au/red25
HEALTHY
COMPETITION
When you love sport, you can be a little
competitive. Shepparton’s Valley Sport
has called on local sporting clubs to
compete to save the most lives in the
inaugural Goulburn Valley Red 25
Sporting Club Challenge.
Valley Sport supports local grassroot sport and
recreation clubs. “Sport in the Goulburn Valley
is a passion. We’re hoping to harness this
competitive drive and help the Blood Service
continue to do great things,” explains Nate
Dedman of Valley Sport.
Clubs in everything from cricket to lawn tennis
went head to head, with donations counted as
‘runs’ on their Red25 tallies. The comp also
attracted some sports personalities, with AFL
premiership player Shannon Byrnes and
Goulburn Valley-raised basketball player and
Melbourne Boomers star Maddie Garrick
becoming official ambassadors.
Good sports: Valley Sport employees warming up for the
challenge in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley.
Ultimately, the winning team was Katamite
Cricket Club, but it’s safe to say that all those
who competed were winners.
“It’s amazing how just one blood donation can
save up to three lives,” said Nate. “That’s a
positive power we have as a sporting
community — so let’s use it.”
MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED
Department of Defence personnel have
proven for the eighth time that they’re
up to the task of defending Australia’s
blood supply.
During the Red25 Defence Blood Challenge,
one of Australia’s largest blood drives, Navy,
Army, Air Force and Defence civilian
personnel gave an amazing 6,972 donations
in just three months, smashing their 2015
results. That’s up to 20,900 lives saved!
The overall winner by number of donations
was Army, but for the first time an award was
given for year-on-year growth as well. Navy
took out that 2016 title with 38 per cent
growth from 2015.
One of the driving forces behind Navy’s
donation success was Lieutenant Chris
Boardman, who used his previous position as
a warrant officer to connect with peers and
spread the word.
“Having planned to donate blood for a few
years, I finally made the time after my wife
required significant blood during the births
of our two children, now six and four years
old,” said Chris.
efence Blood Challenge: Navy Lieutenant Chris Boardman in the
D
donation chair with (l-r) Joanne Davey, Air Force Flight Sergeant;
Christine Williams, Army Warrant Officer Second Class; and Adam
Friederich, Defence civilian.
“In my role as Ambassador for the Navy
during this year’s challenge, I hoped to help
people learn from my own personal
experience and get involved in donating blood
much sooner in life than I did.”
Well done to all Defence personnel who
participated — thank you for defending
Australia’s blood supply!
To join Red25 or learn more, call 1300 886 524 or visit donateblood.com.au/red25
LIFE
SUMMER 2017
Happy anniversary: Angela and
Justin Evans chose a unique way
to celebrate their first year as a
newlywed couple — by becoming
first-time blood donors together!
They made their first blood
donations on their first wedding
anniversary at the Mackay Donor
Centre in Queensland.
First-time donor: Dana Migas has just turned 18 and, with donating blood on her bucket list, lost
no time in making her first donation at Cannington Blood Donor Centre in Western Australia. The
school-leaver is interested in blood and blood donation so took the opportunity to learn more
about working in the field.
Can you help us with our research?
Are you a new blood donor? We are keen to hear from you so that
we can best meet the needs of those donating for the very first
time. Research is a critical component in allowing us to improve
our service.
We have partnered with the University of New South Wales and
the University of Queensland to understand what motivates new
donors to give the gift of life. In early 2017, on the day following
their first donation, a selected sample of donors will receive an
email from the Blood Service with a link to an online survey.
If you receive an email, we hope you will be able to help!
AUSTRALIA’S RAREST
BLOOD DONORS
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
Exceptional: Regular blood donor Louis Price is the one of three active
Australian donors to have the very rare blood type LAN negative.
A
“I was called many years ago to give blood
for a patient in South Africa,” says South
Australian retiree Louis Price.
Louis is one of three active donors in
Australia with the blood type LAN negative.
His donated blood is so precious that it
does not end up in the general blood
collection pool. His is flown to the Red
Cell Reference Group laboratory in Melbourne
where it is carefully saved and monitored in
state-of-the-art storage.
“It’s a bit unique,” says Louis of his unusual
donor profile.
In Queensland 69-year-old Yvonne Trapnell
must top up a frozen stockpile of her own
blood should she ever require a transfusion
in the future.
“I’ve been asked to provide blood for people
overseas,” says Yvonne.
She is the only known Australian with Rh-null
blood. There are 15 donors registered
world-wide with this blood type.
With every drop of Rh-null blood accounted
for in Australia, Yvonne knows well the risks
of living with the nation’s rarest blood type.
“As I’ve gotten older, I do think about it
more. You try and take precautions like
everybody else.’’
The Blood Service’s National Red
Cell Reference Group Manager, Tanya
Powley, says there are 115 active donors
on the Australian Rare Donor Registry.
They represent 0.000004 per cent
of the Australian population.
“It’s a huge commitment to be a rare
blood donor,” says Tanya.
She explains that the Red Cell Reference
Group tests over 2,000 blood samples
each year across four national laboraties.
Blood matches are found for 90 per cent
of those samples.
If a blood match cannot be found from the
Australian Rare Donor Registry then the
search widens to the international blood
registry. Blood from this global list of rare
donors is flown to Australian patients about
six times a year.
Tanya says it is critical that rare blood donors
keep donating regularly to ensure the security
of the nation’s rare blood stockpile, and that
they remember to donate prior to travel.
What is also important, she says, is to ensure
Australia’s rare blood registry is as diverse as
its growing multicultural society.
Blood types common in Indian and African
communities, for example, are rare in
Australia, and finding blood for patients of
these backgrounds can be difficult.
Twin brothers from Perth Domenico and Tony
Musca share a unique bond — they are the
only two active Australian donors with JRA O
negative blood.
Their rare blood type has been used to save
the life of a Queensland mother and her
newborn son.
“The Blood Service will give us a call to see if
we can urgently donate because someone is
in need of our blood,” says Domenico.
He says his rare blood type has never made
him feel vulnerable because he has his
brother as a lifeline.
“We’re lucky we’re twins. If one of us is ever
in need, the other can donate blood.”
Interesting
facts about
blood types
There are 37 different blood
group systems, which include
the most commonly known
ABO and Rh negative and Rh
positive groups.
All blood types are
categorised by little markers
called antigens that coat the
surface of red blood cells.
There are more than 300
known antigens.
A blood type is categorised
rare if only 1 in 100 people
have it and very rare if only
1 in 10,000 people have it.
Scientists are discovering
new blood types each year.
One of the newest blood
types — called JENU and
discovered with the help
of Blood Service scientists
— was declared a blood type
in September 2016 by the
International Society for
Blood Transfusion Red Cell
Working Party.
The immune system of
a patient transfused
with the wrong blood type
will create antibodies to
attack the foreign blood.
The reaction can be fatal.
LIFE
SUMMER 2017
cross Australia there is a tiny
group of blood donors whose blood
type is so rare they rely on their
own frozen blood supply and can
be called to donate at any time for a patient
anywhere in the world.
DONORS SHARE
THEIR 2017
ASPIRATIONS
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
IN BLOOD DONOR
CENTRES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY ORDINARY
AUSTRALIANS BEGAN
THE YEAR WITH
THE EXTRAORDINARY
GIFT OF BLOOD. WE
ASKED THEM FOR
THEIR THOUGHTS ON
DONATING AND HOPES
FOR 2017.
TED
JENNINGS
LISA
EBERT
Regent Arcade Donor Centre
South Australia
Regent Arcade Donor Centre
South Australia
10 donations
21 donations
30 lives saved
63 lives saved
A serious motorcycle accident forced Ted to
rethink his life. At the top end of his lifechanging action list was a commitment to
start donating blood. “I don’t think I was
living a beneficial life,” says Ted, a
registered nurse. A keen marathon runner,
one of Ted’s goals for 2017 is completing a
gruelling race in Cairns. “It’s going to be a
great year.”
Lisa, a research scientist for the Centre for
Cancer Biology in Adelaide, says she wishes
for good health for her young family in 2017.
“I have a good understanding of how blood is
used and needed, and how nasty diseases
can be — especially cancer — so I’m happy
to do anything I can to help.”
PAMELA
CREED
JOEL
DOUTCH
Melbourne CBD Donor Centre
Victoria
Melbourne CBD Donor Centre
Victoria
12 donations
33 donations
36 lives saved
99 lives saved
Pamela started donating blood because she
wanted to make a difference: “It’s just a little
bit of time, yet can make the world of
difference to the person who receives it.
You never know when you or your family or
kids might need it. You do it with the hope
someone else might benefit. It’s also great to
indulge in party pies four times a year!”
“I just want to give back really,” says Joel
who donates what’s needed on the day: whole
blood, plasma or platelets. “It’s about helping
someone else out. I’ve done this since I was
18 or 19 years old. I saw the mobile donor
centre at uni and thought, ‘I always wanted to
do that’”. His resolution: “I want to keep
donating every two weeks and hopefully
make 26 donations in 2017”.
LIFE
SUMMER 2017
ALANNA
GARN
CORRY
GALE-KILSHAW
PAUL
COPELAND
Sydney Town Hall Donor Centre
New South Wales
Strathpine Donor Centre
Queensland
Fremantle Donor Centre
Western Australia
25 donations
1 donation
93 donations
75 lives saved
3 lives saved
279 lives saved
While a cash-strapped university student,
Alanna saw donating blood as an opportunity
to do something positive that cost nothing.
Now a full-time marketing coordinator, time
is much harder to come by but “I donate
wherever I am, whenever I can” says Alanna.
“I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions, but
it’s been on my mind to get back into being a
regular blood donor.”
This was Corry’s first donation. Corry was
inspired to donate blood by all his mates who
were blood donors. When he saw a call-out in
the media for the need for blood over
Christmas, Corry headed to Strathpine
Blood Donor Centre to make his contribution.
Corry’s first donation went well and he is
booked in to donate plasma next time.
Working on tugboats means that Paul needs
to time his donations for the month he is at
home. “For me, donating blood is pretty
cruisy and easy,” says Paul who has been
donating for 30 years. “I donate because I
have girls, and if they had an accident I’d
hate for them to not get through it because
of a lack of blood.” His goal for 2017: “keep
going, try to do my bit, keep healthy and
hopefully reach 100 donations.”
JACKIE
BATTEN
MICHAEL AND
ANDREW THORP
SANDI
ANASTASIU
Strathpine Donor Centre
Queensland
Springwood Donor Centre
Queensland
Fremantle Donor Centre
Western Australia
200 donations
57 and 50 donations
101 donations
600 lives saved
321 lives saved together
303 lives saved
Jackie first started donating with her
husband and they soon began a friendly
competition to see who could donate the
most. Over the years Jackie has had
friends receive blood products and this
has inspired her to keep donating. She
has just celebrated her 200th donation.
Jackie is so far winning the competition
with her husband!
Springwood’s famous “Beard Brothers”,
Michael and Andrew, donate platelets and
plasma every fortnight. Together, they set
time aside over the festive season to
donate blood. “It’s a time to give back to
the community and donating blood is an
easy way to do just that,” they said. Their
goal for 2017: not only to grow their
beards but their donation tally.
“I started donating many years ago,
just on a whim,” says Sandi. “Now I keep
coming back to see the lovely staff and to
give something back because my mum
has had a couple of blood transfusions.
It only takes an hour of your day”. Sandi’s
goal for this year: “to make sure I donate
every two weeks and get my full 26 blood
donations in for 2017”.
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
BLOOD SERVICE
LIFE-CHANGING
PLASMA
Changing lives: monthly infusions of immunoglobulin help Hayley Teasdale to stay
healthy and achieve her dream of helping people through research in neuroscience.
H
So thank you,
for helping me
to help others,
and letting me
follow my
dreams!
ayley Teasdale is 24 years old
and has a busy and full life, and
a bright future helping people.
She also has an illness that could
kill her, without the ongoing assistance of
monthly plasma donations.
Despite a love of basketball, netball
and yachting, Hayley often found herself ill
during her younger years. But there was a
silver lining to all the free time the illness
afforded her. Hayley put that time to good
use, reading ferociously.
Originally from country Victoria, the Canberra
-based researcher is a doctoral candidate
and lecturer at the University of Canberra,
specialising in neuroscience research to
combat Parkinson’s disease. She also
works part-time at the Australian Academy
of Science.
“I had to use my brain because my body
was out of action for so much of the time,”
she said.
Hayley suffered many years of poor health,
but it was not until she reached university
that she was diagnosed with an immune
deficiency. This is a rare disorder that impairs
the immune system, making Hayley highly
susceptible to infections and viruses. Known
as common variable immunodeficiency
(CVID), there is no cure for the disorder but
sufferers are able to live normal and healthy
lives thanks to the immunity given to them
by regular transfusions of a medication made
from blood plasma.
“I went all through school being undiagnosed.
I just accepted it as being normal,”
explains Hayley.
Once a month Hayley attends Canberra’s
National Capital Hospital to receive a
transfusion of immunoglobulin, made up
of plasma antibodies taken from more than
a dozen plasma donations. Over a lifetime it
will take hundreds of donors to ensure
Hayley’s continued good health.
One message Hayley is keen to impart
is to encourage people to donate plasma.
“A plasma donation doesn’t just save lives,
it changes them. Because of my CVID I was
told my chosen career path was not an option
for me, and I couldn’t work with people.
Because my system is boosted now, I am
able to do what I have always wanted,
learning every day and helping people.
“So thank you, for helping me to help others,
and letting me follow my dreams!”
RECIPE
METHOD
INGREDIENTS
1 Place the halved cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.
Crush slightly so that the juices start to flow.
2 Add garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to
the bowl of tomatoes and stir through. Season to taste.
3 Add the spaghetti to a large pan of boiling water and cook until al dente.
4 When the pasta is cooked, drain, and immediately add the warm pasta to the tomato mixture.
Toss together.
5 Finally, add the fresh basil leaves and toss again.
2 tablespoons aged
balsamic vinegar
375g spaghetti
1 punnet of cherry
tomatoes, halved
6 Serve with shaved parmesan.
Freshly ground black
pepper
½ cup fresh basil leaves,
coarsely chopped
Parmesan to serve
2 garlic gloves, crushed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
CROSSWORD
1
2
3
7
9
4
5
6
8
10
11
12
15
16
13
17
18
19
21
23
14
20
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Geometric shapes
5. Novel thought
7. Not in use
8. Tolerable
9. Money in account
12. Beach front
15. Vacation
19. Tenant
21. Working (dough)
22. Swell, ... up
23. Talk excitedly
24. Absolute ruler
1. Royal offspring
2. Crop harvest
3. Circle (Earth)
4. Rarely encountered
5. Mental pictures
6. Unwilling
10. Sinister
11. Chilled
12. Reticent
13. Competent
14. Troubles
15. Long (for)
16. Instinctive
17. Joined forces (with)
18. Young cow
19. Sense
20. Brown pigment
22
24
© Lovatts Puzzles
SOLUTIONS
Fill the grid so that every
column, every row and
every 3x3 box contains
the numbers 1 to 9.
R
A
V
E
T
E
A
K
N
E
N
N
N
A
I
H O
L
D
D
E
I
C
V
E
L
E
I
D
L
I
A
L
Y
E
A
C
I
I
Y G O N
P O
R
A
C
S
F
S
E
L
E
H
L
S
I
D
A
R
B
L
M
I
E
S
G
R
F
I
S
E
R
E
O R
E
U
E
B
E
T
I
L
H
S
A
P
O
T
B
T
I
R
L
C
N G
L
E
N
I
L
C R
D
I
E
D
E
V
D
E
A
SUDOKU
METHOD
Thanks to Lovatts
Crosswords & Puzzles
for supplying these
puzzles.
LIFE
SUMMER 2017
FRESH TOMATO
AND BASIL PASTA
RECIPIENT
LUKE’S
STORY
Luke has had cancer twice
– once when he was 11 and
again at 22. Blood and platelet
transfusions helped him survive
treatments and surgery.
I can’t imagine
how I’d be here
today if it wasn’t
for the blood of
other people.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.
Send your feedback, ideas and suggestions to [email protected]
/redcrossbloodau |
VISIT: donateblood.com.au
@redcrossbloodau |
/redcrossbloodau