Unlike the warm sun and blooming flowers, the need for blood is not seasonal and is urgently needed before Labour Day. August 26 marks the day that Canadian Blood Services has stated that they need 22,000 donors by, 1250 that total is needed within Saskatchewan.

As people are historically busier in the summer, appointments get missed or simply not made at all, this can wreak havoc on the national blood supply and meeting the needs of patients not only in emergency situations but also those with acute illnesses such as cancer and leukemia.

According to Aaron Barlow, donor relations territory manager for Canadian Blood Services, a cancer patient can need on average of five donors per week for treatment and leukemia patients, as much as seven donors per week. Those who have the unfortunate experience of requiring emergency care can need up to 50 units of blood for incidents such as car accidents.

A potentially unknown fact is that blood has a shelf life, “One of the components in blood, platelets has a shelf life of about seven days,” said Barlow. This is why he said, they need a steady stream of donors and can’t just bank donated blood for months at a time until it is needed.

Type O is, and always has been, the blood type in high demand as it is universal and can be transfused into patients regardless of their blood type. Barlow added that “Usually, if you are type O, someone in your family is as well,” and encourages people to bring family members along to donate too.

Regardless of blood type, blood is required from donors to ensure the life and recovery of other people in a myriad of health situations.

“1 in every 2 people can donate blood, but only 1 in every 60 do.” said Barlow.

Barlow stated that there are requirements donors must meet to be eligible to donate, some of which have been recently amended. For instance, previously, there was a six month wait to donate on anyone who got a tattoo or body piercing, this time frame has been amended to three months. Other areas for eligibility consideration includes recent travel and some medications.

If eligible, the frequency that one is able to donate is once every 56 days for men and every 84days for women.

Canadian Blood Services has locations across the province where people can donate and often set up mobile sites for smaller rural areas, to find out more information about blood donation, eligibility and locations, visit Canadian Blood Services website.