The Middlemore Blood Drive is an annual event hosted at Ko Awatea. The most recent event took place on Friday 19 May, after being postponed for the past three years due to COVID-19.
This year's Blood Drive was attended by 70 staff with 55 units of blood donated. These 55 units will go on to impact the lives of up to 165 people across Aotearoa.
Each blood donation will be split into the 3 components (red blood cells, plasma and platelets), each of these 3 components can be used for different treatments and different patients.
Ko Awatea's Terijean Murray says "I donate as I feel it is a small thing I can do to help save another one's life. I've had multiple whaanau members undergo major surgery and have required blood transfusions so I know how important blood donating is."
If you’re interested in saving lives by donating blood, you can visit Give Blood | New Zealand Blood Service (nzblood.co.nz)