One of just two Australian donor centres dedicated to the collection of blood plasma, Civic Plasma Centre celebrated its fifth birthday this week, on Monday 3 April.
Lifeblood research has shown that Canberrans are Australia’s top plasma donors as they are three times more likely to donate plasma than residents of other capital cities around the country. One Canberra man doing his part to keep those numbers high is Neville Tomkins, who donated for an incredible 525th time on the day.
Mr Tomkins was the first donor at the centre when it opened on 3 April 2018 and was thrilled to be there to celebrate the fifth birthday with another life-saving donation.
“It’s such a great cause, anything to help others in need, I want to be the first to step up. I’m in good health and it’s easy for me to step up and help others,” says Mr Tomkins.
In its five years, the centre has welcomed almost 5,000 new donors and taken nearly 118,000 plasma donations which have contributed to 350,000 lives being saved. The centre plays a vital role in meeting nationwide demand for the life-saving liquid and Australia is one of the world’s highest users of plasma.
What is known as the liquid portion, plasma makes up about 55 per cent of blood; the rest is red and white blood cells and platelets. Similar to any other Lifeblood donation, a needle is injected to collect the blood, then a specialised machine separates the yellow plasma from the blood before the red blood cells are returned to the body.
As the red cells are reabsorbed, it means donors can give twice as much plasma as unseparated blood. You can even donate plasma more often, only having to wait two weeks between donations.
In the body, plasma’s important jobs include redistributing water, delivering hormones, supporting blood vessels, helping blood clot, and regulating temperatures. When donated, it can be used for the treatment of serious illnesses and injuries, including haemophilia, kidney disease, autoimmune disease, liver and heart disease, and traumas.
“It’s important to donate because there are so many people in the community that desperately need blood and plasma products, their life depends on the generosity of donors to save their life or improve their health. It’s the least I can do,” says Mr Tomkins.
Lifeblood spokesperson Sally Deveson says the blood donor community should be proud of the incredible effort made in the national capital.
“Canberra needs 1000 plasma donations every week to help treat patients in hospital,” she says. “We’d like to encourage people in the community to continue to roll up their sleeves, and for our current donors to make just one more donation in 2023.”
In a celebration of the efforts made by Canberra donors, Ms Deveson says Lifeblood have listened to donor’s snack requests and will be adding milkshakes to the menu permanently.
“We know our donors love party pies and sausage rolls, but they’ve been telling us they want milkshakes, and that’s why we’re rolling them out from today onwards,” she smiles.
Check your eligibility and where to donate, visit lifeblood.com.au
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