By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

Blood donations needed in Lethbridge as local father encourages residents to give

Jun 17, 2018 | 9:50 AM

LETHBRIDGE – With National Blood Donor Week ending today, the local Canadian Blood Services branch is stressing how important blood is in the community.

Local blood donor and advocate, Joe Michelsen, marked National Blood Donor Week and Father’s Day on Wednesday when he donated blood and thanked other donors for their life-saving acts of kindness and generosity.

Michelsen donated blood occasionally in the 1970’s, but it wasn’t until his daughter Melissa was diagnosed with cancer that he realized the true impact blood donors make in the lives of hospital patients.

“My daughter was diagnosed with cancer when she was two and half years old, that was 25 years ago, and while she was on treatment she did get blood products,” Michelsen continued. “Started out with platelets, then other products, then she had a bone marrow transplant and today she’s doing very well living in Leduc.”

In his daughter’s honour, Michelsen continues to actively promote blood donation through Canadian Blood Service’s Partner for Life program and the Kinsmen Club of Coaldale

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“There’s always a need for blood, and for different types of blood. It’s such an easy thing to do, you give an hour of your time once every couple of months, and there is really nothing to it,” Michelsen said.

The issue of giving blood in Lethbridge is especially important, as the area is short on blood now according to Canadian Blood Services territory manager Belinda Tomiyama.

“We need people to donate blood every day, I know that people are busy over the summer months and I get it because I live here. We don’t have summer all the time, so people want to get out and enjoy it, but there are patients in the hospital who need blood right now,” Tomiyama stated.

The Partners for Life program gives teams within Canadian companies, government agencies community groups, schools, service clubs, faith organizations and more the opportunity to show their commitment to saving lives by donating blood, platelets and plasma.

For more information, residents can visit here or call 403-320-9611 to set up an appointment to give blood.

Tomiyama says in May they didn’t have enough people in Lethbridge stepping forward to donate blood, and as a result, they were 51 units short of what they needed to collect.

“We’re very lucky because we have a national blood system, so we can rely on other parts of the country to bring blood, so our patients here can get the blood they need,” she continued. “But between now and Canada Day we’re 424 appointments short to be able to reach our targets and we need new donors to step forward.”

Later this year, Canadian Blood Services will commemorate its 20th anniversary, and a release from the organization says it will be a great time to remind Canadians more blood donors are needed.

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