Barrie Campus blood donor clinic exceeds expectations

Georgian’s blood donor clinic exceeded the expected target of 58 units of blood with a final tally of 79 units collected at the Barrie Campus on Oct. 22.

“The clinic was hugely successful,” says Julie Rose, Territory Manager, Canadian Blood Services. “We reached 136 per cent of our goal.”

Julie was pleased that the OneMatch Swab Event signed up 15 new registrants for the national and international stem cell registries. “

Hopefully, they’ll be a match for a patient in need down the road,” she said. “A stem cell match is as unique as a fingerprint, and the college is an ideal location to find donors as the ideal age range is 17 to 35.”

Barrie resident Nancy Marcello, who helped register Georgian staff and students for the OneMatch program, has a personal reason for offering her assistance. Her sister-in-law has been waiting for a donor match for over a year.

“None of her three siblings are matches,” says Nancy. “And she needs the transplant to combat her leukemia.”

Nancy adds that even if donors aren’t a match for her sister-in-law, they could be match for someone else. Fewer than 25 per cent of patients who need stem cell transplants are able to find a match within their own families. This means that many patients rely on the generosity of volunteer donors who want to help save a life.

The blood donor clinic also featured a friendly challenge between students in Georgian’s paramedic and nursing programs.

The Paramedic students came out the victors with 20 students registering to donate.

Kilmeny Carette, a second-year Paramedic student, was the first one in her program to donate at the clinic.

“If you’re able to donate, you should,” says Kilmeny, who has donated blood before.

“The nursing students were also very active,” says Julie “but a scheduling conflict affected their ability to participate. Everyone who came out to the clinic was very engaged. I am sure the nursing students will have a very strong presence at the January clinic.”