OUR VIEW: Give blood to save lives

We all know that giving blood saves lives, yet many of us who were once donors have fallen out of the habit.
The Blood Service needs us to get back into the habit to ensure it can supply enough of the lifesaving product to hospitals.
While there are still many generous people in our community who regularly take the time and make the effort to donate blood, more donors are always needed given our ageing population and a growing trend for people to get tattoos and piercings, after which they can't donate blood for at least six months.
Many people are reluctant because they "don't like needles". Nobody loves needles, but it's really not as bad as some people might think. The whole process is pretty much painless and doesn't take that long - and you get a cup of tea afterwards.
Only 4 per cent of New Zealand's population donate blood, which the Blood Service says is not a lot. The service is losing about 3000 donors every year nationally due to age and other restrictions, so there's a real need for new donors.
There is always a need for blood. In New Zealand, 150,000 whole blood units are needed every year to meet clinical needs. The blood is used to treat accident and burn victims, to treat shock, for cancer patients and those undergoing surgery, to provide clotting factors for people with bleeding disorders and to provide antibody treatment for people with immune system disorders.
About 1 per cent of our population - 42,000 patients - are treated with blood or blood products each year.
That's a lot of people who rely on the generosity and community spirit of others.
Tauranga's Blood Centre in Cameron Rd is well supported year-round, with its average of 36 donors a day giving it well over the 180 donor per week mark it aims for.
But with the silly season approaching, it needs more.
All blood types are being sought ahead of Christmas, with O and A the types most needed.
The extra blood would mean that hospitals had a good stock to meet both the increase in accident victims and elective surgery patients over the period.
So if you used to give blood but haven't for a while, why not head down to the Blood Centre on Cameron Rd and get back into the habit? Every blood donation can save up to three lives. Surely that's worth doing and, as the saying goes, it could be you needing it one day.