By REBECCA WALSH
Three-year-old Joshua Baxter munches on a biscuit as he watches his father give blood.
His eyes follow the tube to a collection bag beside the bed.
"You were very good, Dad," he says as the tubes are removed 15 minutes later and a green plaster taped across the arm
of his father, Stephen.
He knows. Usually it is Joshua who has needles poked into him.
The rosy-cheeked preschooler suffers from a rare condition called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), which means his body does not create the antibodies needed to fight infections.
He is one of eight people in New Zealand who have the genetic condition and one of many who rely on the generosity of blood donors for their survival.
Blood banks around the country are calling on people to take the opportunity to give blood as part of National Blood Donor Week, which started yesterday.
It was not until he was 5 months old that Joshua's parents, Jane and Stephen, became aware of the condition. It was diagnosed when his first cold turned quickly into severe pneumonia, nearly killing him.
The months to follow were sheer hell, the couple said. Specialists told them Joshua needed a bone-marrow transplant and transfusions of blood products for the rest of his life.
Two months later the family flew to Sydney for the transplant - Mrs Baxter was the donor.
The next nine months were spent in isolation at their Canterbury home.
"It was terrifying," said Mrs Baxter. "We lived the whole time thinking it might be his last day."
But more than two years later, Joshua is an active boy who enjoys playing with friends at preschool.
Every four weeks he receives a treatment of Intragam P - a product made from blood plasma - through a portacath tube in his chest.
It takes plasma from more than 250 donations to make the immunoglobulin needed for a year's treatment and the Baxters are full of praise for those who donate.
"It's amazing a bunch of complete strangers come in every month and give blood that keeps him alive," Mrs Baxter said.
Tony Smith, national donor manager, said it was always a challenge getting enough blood.
"The week is about thanking donors for their fantastic efforts and if people haven't donated before, it's a great time to start."
By REBECCA WALSH
Three-year-old Joshua Baxter munches on a biscuit as he watches his father give blood.
His eyes follow the tube to a collection bag beside the bed.
"You were very good, Dad," he says as the tubes are removed 15 minutes later and a green plaster taped across the arm
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