Presenter 1
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways across Australia.
Presenter 2
You're listening to Australia Explained, an SBS audio podcast helping you navigate life in Australia.
Maram Ismail
Imagine this. Right now, someone in Australia is alive because a stranger rolled up their sleeve and gave blood. One donation can save up to 3 lives. This is a powerful reminder that a simple act of generosity can mean everything to someone else. The best part, blood is freely given and freely received. You'll never be asked to pay for it if you need it, but that also means we rely on everyday Australians from all backgrounds to step up and donate. They can.
Ed
My motivation is really to help, help save lives. So for me, it's something that I can help wit,h and it doesn't cost me anything.
Maram Ismail
This is Australia Explained podcast, and I'm your host, Maram Ismail. In this episode, you will learn why Australia's blood supply is so precious and how you can play a role in keeping it strong. Australia has one of the safest blood supplies in the world, but supply levels are often low. We need more than 33,000 blood donations weekly to meet the demands of our hospital patients. Emily Granland is spokesperson for Lifeblood. The government-funded body that manages the Australian Red Cross blood supply, she says, blood is a very versatile product.
Emily Granland
Blood is a precious resource that's life-changing for people who need it. It can save lives in emergencies. It can prolong lives for people having treatment for things like cancer. And it can give people who need regular blood transfusions better quality of life, and blood donation really does help a wide variety of people, people having surgery, people who've been involved in a serious accident, people with blood or immune conditions, women giving birth, and even unborn babies.
Maram Ismail
Not everyone can donate blood all the time. But most of us can donate at least some parts of our blood and more regularly than you might think.
Emily Granland
If you're between 18 and 75 years old, you weigh 50 kg or more and you're feeling healthy and well, you should be able to donate. Um, Lifeblood also collects plasma donations and platelet donations, and they're different parts of our blood, and you can donate blood every 12 weeks in Australia and plasma every 2 weeks.
Maram Ismail
Some circumstances may rule you out of donating blood. You can't donate if you are pregnant, for example, or if you've had a stroke or some other medical condition. This is to protect your health. Blood conditions such as hemophilia and thalassemia can also make you ineligible. If unsure, you can call the Lifeblood hotline on 13 14 95. The medical team is happy to guide you. You can also take the eligibility quiz on the Lifeblood website. Then, what should you expect when you turn up to donate? Ms Grantland says the whole appointment should take 1 hour for blood and 90 minutes for plasma. Your blood will be drawn from your arm for a few minutes via a needle.
Emily Granland
And we do ask that you drink about 12 glasses of water the day before the donation and continue to drink water on the day to make sure that you're hydrated and your blood flows well. We do know that some people feel a bit nervous about donating blood or might be a little bit scared of needles, but our staff are very, very friendly, and they'll put you at ease. And if English is not your first language, we do offer interpreters, and we can also supply screens and arm coverings.
Maram Ismail
The first part of the appointment involves completing a questionnaire to make sure you're eligible to donate on the day. You'll then undergo a quick check of your blood pressure and iron levels.
Emily Granland
And then you move onto our donor floor and sit in a nice comfy chair to give your donation. And for blood, that only takes about 5 to 10 minutes. So afterwards, you can take your time to relax and have some free refreshments. So we've got all sorts of snacks from fruit to chocolate, party pies, milkshakes, and that just helps give you back some energy and so that you're ready to continue on with your day.
Maram Ismail
Blood donor. Ed has given 3-4 times a year since 2009. He says many people might not give blood donation too much thought or might take our blood supply for granted, but for some people, it's a matter of life and death.
Ed
My motivation is really to help, help save lives. So for me, it's something that I can help with, and it doesn't cost me anything apart from time and my blood. And another thing is I've had families and friends who've gone to the hospital, gone through blood transfusion, and something tells me that I should give something back to the community.
Maram Ismail
In Australia, it's important that blood is donated from a diverse section of the population. Dr. Rachel Thorpe is senior research fellow with the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. She says currently most blood donors are from European backgrounds, but the more diverse Australia's blood is, the more sustainable it becomes.
Dr Rachel Thorpe
As the country becomes more ethnically diverse, so does our blood because blood types are inherited. So it's really important that we receive blood donations from a diverse section of the population so that we have matched blood that's available for the patients that need it.
Maram Ismail
There are 8 main blood types. Many of us will have heard of the ABO and the RH blood types in Australia. The most common blood type is O positive, followed by A positive. Dr Thorpe says there are actually more than 300 variants, some of which are very rare.
Dr Rachel Thorpe
One example of a rare blood type is called the JK null blood type. It's rare amongst all ethnicities, but it's more common amongst people from Polynesian, New Zealand, Maori, and Filipino backgrounds. So we are always looking for more people from those backgrounds to come and donate blood, and to try and find more people that have this JKL blood type.
Maram Ismail
Cultural factors can influence why people are sometimes reluctant to donate blood, Dr Thorpe says.
Dr Rachel Thorpe
Some people come from countries where donation is actually mostly family replacement donations. So for example, you would be asked to donate some units of blood for a friend or a family member who need blood for an operation. So they don't know that in Australia blood donation is voluntary. It's just something that you book an appointment to go and do, and we encourage people to come back and donate on a repeated basis.
Maram Ismail
Regular blood donor Ed has made group appointments with his work colleagues as a way of motivating himself and others to give blood.
Ed
It makes it fun and it does make it easier when you go there as a group and you have this kind of jolly atmosphere when you're on your to the blood center, then it helps and it makes others who aren't that keen to go because of maybe fear of needle makes it that much easier for them.
Maram Ismail
Lifeblood always welcomes new donors from every background. Emily Granland recommends that you book, but donor centers try to accommodate people who turn up without an appointment. You'll find donor centres right across the country.
Emily Granland
There are almost 80 permanent lifeblood centres in Australia, and most of those are in our city. We've also got a pop-up donor center and mobile donor units that travel around regional areas, and they stay in different locations for a week or two, and those mobile units visit more than 365 locations every year.
Maram Ismail
If you'd like to give blood donation a try, you can call 13-1495 or book online at lifeblood.com.au or on the Donate Blood app. Thank you for listening to this episode of Australia Explained, written and produced by Melissa Compagnoni and hosted, mixed, and sound designed by me, Maram Ismail. Australia Explained's managing editor is Roza Germian.
Presenter 2
This was an SBS audio podcast. For more Australia Explained stories, visit SBS.com.au/Australiaexplained.
spk_2
Subscribe or follow the Australia Explained podcast for more valuable information and tips about settling into your new life in Australia. Do you have any questions or topic ideas? Send us an email to australiaexplained@sbs.com.au.
