NZ’s most generous blood donor to make milestone

MEDIA RELEASE
03 April 2007

New Zealand’s most generous blood donor to make milestone donation

New Zealand’s most generous blood donor is set to make a milestone 450th donation today.

Sixty six year old Auckland man Graeme Thomas has been donating plasma for nearly 40 years, since the plasma donation programme inception in 1968.

“I was the third person to sign up for the programme and I have been donating ever since. It’s something I can do that makes a significant difference to people, but really isn’t that demanding,” says Mr Thomas, who travels by ferry and train from Devonport to the NZ Blood donor center in Epsom every second Tuesday.

During the plasma donation process, known as apheresis, the blood taken from Mr Thomas’s body is channeled through a cell separator which removes the plasma from the blood. The remainder of the blood, including the red blood cells, is returned to his body.

Mr Thomas is an especially valuable blood donor because his plasma contains high levels of Anti-D. This means it can be used to make the immunoglobulin treatment offered to Rh negative women who give birth to Rh positive babies to help reduce potential health risks to babies in any future pregnancies.

New Zealand Blood Service Chief Executive, Fiona Ritsma, says, “Over the years, Graeme’s commitment and dedication to being a blood donor has almost certainly saved hundreds of lives. He is New Zealand’s most generous and committed blood donor and deserves enormous recognition for the contribution he’s made to the health of many New Zealanders who will never know the role he has played in their lives”

The New Zealand Blood Service is delighted to acknowledge his contribution and welcomes other healthy New Zealanders to consider joining him in donating blood.

ENDS

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