Blood donors

Lifetime blood donor John Gray recently retired from donating blood after saving more than 750 lives. Mr Gray first gave blood more than 45 years ago and has made donating part of his regular routine. “I have always donated blood because it doesn’t affect me and it does so much good for the community. I’ve been doing it a while now, so it’s probably about time I retire,” Mr Gray said. Photo: Australian Red Cross Blood Service

One in three Australians will need blood, yet only one in 30 currently donates. This year 493,000 blood donors across Australia provided whole blood, plasma and platelets, enabling people with conditions like cancer and blood diseases, trauma patients, pregnant women and new mothers to live full and healthy lives. With every blood donation helping to save three lives, the support and generosity of our blood donors is something that many Australians literally couldn’t live without.