Appeal for more young people to donate blood

Young people in Kent are being urged to become blood donors, as last year only 10% of those who donated in the county were under the age of 24.

The Missing Type campaign has been launched by NHS Blood and Transplant to ensure blood donation for future generations.

Last year, 32,202 people in Kent gave blood at least once, including 4,344 people in Medway.

But, only 3,200 of these donors were aged between 17 and 24 years.

The main factors which put people off donating blood include travelling to exotic countries, people having less time, lack of awareness of the process and a fear of needles.

Lorraine Orange, who’s son Oakley, 10, has Stevens-Johnson syndrome, says he relies on blood transfusions to keep him alive.

The condition, triggered by an allergic reaction to epilepsy medication, meant Oakley lost all his skin as well as his hair, toenails and finger nails. He spent weeks in intensive care, battling hypothermia and a lung infection.

Mrs Orange, from Rochester, said: “Throughout his hospital stay he had in excess of 17 pints of blood.

“He was losing so much blood from the open wounds on his skin and because he lost so much of his skin his body was one open sore.

“For him, without the blood he wouldn’t be here today.

“I think it’s the fright, they think having a needle is going to really hurt.

“They think it’s a huge nee- dle they use to take the blood away. It’s not, it’s a normal needle they would use for a blood test if you were poorly yourself.

“You can still go in the evenings, it’s literally a small part of your day. I just wish they would take an hour out of their day to save someone’s life.”

Figures show there’s been almost a 30% international drop in people becoming blood donors last year compared to 10 years ago.

The number of people becoming donors and giving blood for the first time in England decreased by almost 25% in 2015 compared to 2005.

There is a particular need for more young blood donors and more black and Asian donors.