Giving the gift of life
Eli Hopkins has come a long way since he was born nearly 16 weeks premature and needed 15 blood transfusions to stay alive. Now the 9-year-old Palmerston North boy rides around on his bike and he wants to be a singer or veterinarian when he grows up. Eli, who goes to Turitea School, is thankful to the 15 donors who gave their blood to enable him to live. ‘‘Don’t be frightened to give blood to people you don’t know, because you’ll never know what will happen to the person if you don’t do it,’’ he said. His mother Brooke Hopkins was transferred from Palmerston North Hospital to Wellington Regional Hospital to have emergency caesarean surgery in 2009 and was close to needing a blood transfusion herself. Eli spent the first four months of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit in Wellington, fighting stomach and lung infections with support from the New Zealand Blood Service. Hopkins said his health had been good since then, with a small sniffle here and there, but nothing major. She cannot give blood herself due to a heart condition, but her family members do and one day she hopes Eli will, if he is able to. She said it was one way people could give back without doing themselves damage. ‘‘People’s lives are at risk and they need blood, and when something is as common as blood, we all reproduce it. It is not life-threatening.’’ Eli and Hopkins’ story are just one of many that have come about because people donated blood. From this week, the New Zealand Blood Service will celebrate turning 20. Since 1998, when the Crown entity started and became responsible for providing blood services and products, more than half a million lives have been saved or benefited from blood transfusions. On average, 79 people in New Zealand every day require blood or blood products. The service says Palmerston North needs 2172 new donors. To become a donor, visit the website at nzblood.co.nz or call 0800 GIVE BLOOD.