News

Catalonia celebrates its 2.0 Blood Donor Marathon in order to restock blood reserves after the holidays

• This campaign is held from January 15-22 at the principle hospitals in Catalonia
• On January 15^th and 16^th, donors can also give blood at our mobile units set up in Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya
• Those who have needed blood in the past will serve as 2.0 Ambassadors for blood donation and will encourage the campaign through social media
• One in every five people will need blood or derivatives at some time in their life
• This campaign takes place at the point in the year where our reserves are at their lowest, right after the holidays
• Donors can reserve a time to give blood at the website donarsang.gencat.cat

Simultaneous press conferences at the four provincial capitals were held to present the 2.0 Blood Donor Marathon of Catalonia, which will be held from the 15^th to the 22^nd of January at the principal hospitals, and in the Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona on January 15^th and 16^th.

​With the slogan "La sort de donar sang" (Lucky to give blood) our campaign would like to win 7,000 extra donations to restock our reserves after the holiday season.

Giving blood is synonymous with health, and that's why donors are lucky to give blood. Those who need blood can also feel lucky that there are thousands of donors. Thanks to them, they can receive the blood they need for operations and treatments.

This year, those receiving blood are the protagonists of our Blood Donor Marathon.

It's calculated that one in every five individuals will need blood or blood derivatives at some point in their lives.

In Catalonia, each year we need about one thousand donations in order to meet the needs of the patients in our clinics and hospitals.

What is blood used for?

Half of blood donations are used in treating diseases like cancer or anaemia.

40% are for surgical interventions like transplants or accidents.

Uses related to obstetrics and gynaecology, like postpartum haemorrhages, make up 3% of consumption. As a matter of fact, each year the lives of about 1,500 women are saved thanks to the transfusions they receive, in some cases of up to 20 bags.

It's been calculated that each day there are about 50 children who, like Bernat, need blood. Bernat's parents have written a blog to raise awareness about the disease that's destroying their three-year-old son's red blood cells.

Those who suffer from other diseases, like thalassemia, need blood periodically. Thalassemia is a genetic mutation that affects 5% of the population, although in many cases it doesn't fully develop.

A website for sharing blood

From today to the day of the Marathon, everyone who wishes to collaborate can log on to donarsang.gencat.cat and make an appointment to give blood at one of the donation locations across Catalonia.

This website can also help to communicate the importance of giving blood through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail or WhatsApp.

When a donor signs up to give blood as the result of a message from a friend, this friend will receive an email thanking them. By doing this, we hope to recognize the involvement of everyone who helps by spreading word of the Marathon. By doing so, anyone can help us to refill our blood reserves at the end of this holiday season.