Montreal May-Day Blood Drive

Posted May 20th, 2016 by Canadian Hemochromatosis Society

by Juliana Pavelka-Johnston, Volunteer Montreal Chapter leader

In observation of the Hemochromatosis May Awareness activities, this was the third annual Blood Drive with Hema-Quebec, known as the May-Day Blood Drive.

April 29th, in the town of Dollard des Ormeaux, at Les Galleries des Sources, from 1 to 7:30, on a busy Friday, we received a total of 107 blood donations. We surpassed our quota nicely and broke a record this year.

It was a steady and even stream of people approaching our front desk to sign up, to roll-up their sleeves for a good cause. The process went quickly from station to station. We had the reception area, to where, the individual would go to the computerized screening, the test for iron, and onward to the nurse for the actual donation. We had Hema-Quebec volunteers helping our donors up from the cot, to the rest and observation area, and then to the recuperation section, which was the final stage of this process for donating your blood.

Much preparation goes into an event such as this. There are the advertisements and posting in the community. One set of signs are posted mid month, to advise to the public. These posters are usually set on premises alerting passers-by of it. This year the Town of DDO kindly advertised for the CHS on their electronic community billboard. This reached a huge population. Then the day of the event there are posters with arrows alerting the passer by to the actual area of the blood donation. One can surely see its “all-go”, with the huge mobile Hema Quebec Blood Truck that they are in the right place.

Our statistics noted the general public’s feedback was that they herd of this from the Hema-Quebec market team and the signs which were posted. This event was also noted in our CHS Facebook pages, and our President was hard at work tweeting this event to our CHS Community the very same day.

I would like the CHS community to note a change we are doing. Kindly remember this code: M0HEM (a zero, and NOT  letter “o”). This code pertains to every member in the province of Quebec, affiliated with the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society. This means those in the maintenance phase, your friends and family who support you, and perhaps your neighbours who stand by you; and for the efforts of the CHS in spreading consciousness about this iron disposition. Our blood donations are year long! When you or your friends donate blood to Hema-Quebec using this code; it will be tallied up at the end of the year to show how many units our organization has participated to help those in need.