It's in you to give

Reading one small subsection of this post over at Castle Argghhh! I got to thinking about blood:

Worst E-Mail Message - "The Walking Blood Bank is Activated. We need blood type A+ stat." I always head down to the surgical unit as soon as I get these messages, but I never give blood - there's always about 80 Marines in line, night or day.

Many people, in the same situation as those U.S. Marines, wouldn't be standing in line to give their blood away - they'd be hoarding it for the all-too-likely circumstance that every drop in their veins would count towards saving their own life, as opposed to someone else's. But those people wouldn't be part of the military fraternity (and let there be no doubt that I include the gals in this 'fraternity').

Soldiers - and by that, I mean those serving in a military uniform, no matter which service they belong to - give blood. Period.

This Canadian Forces Challenge "Operation Roll Up Your Sleeves" for 2005-06 was the most successful campaign to date for the Canadian Blood Services. With a national target set at 2,700 units, an impressive 4,449 donors, representing members of the Canadian Forces, their friends and family, donated between November 1, 2005 and January 13, 2006. (Babbler's highlight)

And as indicated in this article, not everyone in the CF is allowed to donate their blood - but those who can do, big time:

Due to deployments in certain regions with high health risks, and to the vaccines they receive, a large number of CF members cannot give blood. Despite these restrictions, some 3 800 of them have given blood since the launch of the joint CBS/CF initiative to collect blood in 2002. (Babbler: article from Oct 2004)

In fact, they give blood in amounts that put the rest of us to shame. Note Raymonde Gaumont and CWO Hugh Morris, respectively:

In response to this, Raymonde Gaumont, a Canadian whose 738 donations ranks highest among females in the country, speaks passionately about blood donation on the Canadian Blood Services website, which she calls a social responsibly.

“I first gave blood at the age of 18 when I enlisted in the Canadian Forces. The military life and blood donation system are united by a strong historical connection. Health is a privilege and, as human beings, we have a responsibility to share it,” Gaumont is quoted as saying on the site.

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Canadian Blood Services presented Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Morris of Combat Training Centre headquarters with a certificate marking his 100th donation, during a blood donor clinic on October 7. The presentation was made shortly after CWO Morris completed his 103rd donation.

"I received a mid-morning call from the Red Cross requesting an emergency donation on December 21, 1969," says Morris. "I was able to save the life of a motorist who had been in an accident—after that I just continued to give."

Kit Emms, Blood Services Coordinator, Central New Brunswick, says that CWO Morris' donations assisted over 300 individuals in need.

When I was at RMC fifteen years ago or so, the Red Cross informed us that the Cadet Wing gave ten percent of Kingston's blood. That is to say, eight hundred of us gave one tenth of the blood collected in a city of over 100,000 souls. And yes, you're damned right I'm proud of that.

Recently, with the help of Canadian Blood Services, the CF has set up a "Walking Blood Bank" similar to the U.S. model. What a fantastic idea:

For the first time since the Second World War, Canada's military is testing soon-to-be-deployed troops so they can act as "walking blood donors" in the event of mass casualties or special transfusion needs for their wounded comrades in Afghanistan.

Almost 500 soldiers from Ontario's CFB Petawawa who are preparing to leave for Afghanistan this summer volunteered to have blood drawn late this week under an agreement with the Canadian Blood Services, which will type and test the samples for donor eligibility, the agency told The Canadian Press on Friday.

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Currently, Canadian medical personnel in Afghanistan have only 80 units of frozen blood on hand. Depending on the severity of injury and the type of blood required -- for instance AB or O-negative -- even one wounded soldier could put a serious dent in that supply.

More information on that same program here:

When a Canadian soldier was seriously injured on deployment last year he was in need of a significant amount of blood. Before he was on his way to recovery he had required 26 units of blood, an amount that was beyond what was readily available to Canadians on site.

Thus American soldiers who had been prescreened as blood donors before they deployed rolled up their sleeves and donated to help their Canadian comrade in arms.

"That incident was a wake-up call for us," says Colonel Maureen Haberstock, DCOS Medical Operations for the Canadian Forces Health Services Group. "We recognized that we needed to try and get in place a similar program for our members so if the need were to arise they could give blood in theatre."

BZ to everyone who gives blood. If you want to join the ranks of civic-minded donors and receive nothing in exchange for your lifeblood other than your own satisfaction, Canadian Blood Services would love to hear from you.