Health / People encouraged to donate blood during Luke’s chemotherapy
A ‘BLOOD drive’ is underway to support a 20-year-old Shetland man who is facing a lengthy period of chemotherapy for leukaemia.
Luke Malcolmson, who is studying at university down south, is needing blood from donors to keep him healthy during his treatment in Glasgow.
He is hoping to encourage as many people across Glasgow and Shetland to donate blood as possible.
Although there is nowhere in Shetland to donate blood at the moment, locals are asked to consider booking an appointment when they are next south.
“I really want everyone to know how important blood drives like these are,” Luke said.
“Without the blood products I got, my body never would have been able to recover to the point where I could start chemotherapy, they really saved my life.
“So I encourage everyone who can to donate, and if at all possible, make it a habit.
“I admit myself, before my diagnosis I had never really given it a second thought, but you never know how important that pint of blood could be and there’s always a need for new donors.”
Luke, from South Nesting, had his life turned upside down in October when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).
ALL is a very treatable cancer in children and young people. The total length of treatment is likely to last over two years.
The call for blood donations is being led by the charity Give Blood 4 Good, which Shetlander Megan Petursdottir was involved in setting up.
The charity said: “In the space of just five weeks, [Luke] has already received over 60 blood products, including whole blood transfusions, platelets, and cryoprecipitate – a treatment created from donated plasma to prevent or control bleeding.
“The impact blood products have had on Luke’s health so far are profound; his body not only immediately feels better, but Luke feels that he has more energy and is more able to do typical day-to-day tasks.
“Without the wonderful people out there who donate blood, Luke’s story today would be a lot different.”
There are donor centres in Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Livingston. Shetlanders at university on the mainland are especially being encouraged to donate.
People can sign up to donate blood to Luke here. Anyone with questions can contact the charity via this link.
Luke’s family is also taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. An online donations page can be found here.
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