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Blood Donation Can Turn Someone’s Life Around...
Here are some inspiring stories
CHRISTINA MOREAU
Published Sept. 21, 2022
When Christina Moreau was a toddler, nobody would have predicted the future she’s living today: training in gymnastics for 16 hours a week, with dreams of the Olympics and performing as a stunt double.
“My parents noticed that unlike other kids, I wasn’t active, and I got tired very easily,” says Moreau, who is now 12 years old and lives with her family in Toronto, Ont.
At first, Lee’s mother, Polina, thought she was just a little quiet and low-energy by nature. But then, during a visit with family in China shortly after her second birthday, Lee developed stomach bug symptoms. A trip to the doctor led to an ultrasound that revealed a very serious problem: ureteral stricture hydronephrosis.
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NICK EVANS
Published Aug. 1, 2022
The need is constant for blood, plasma and platelet donors, and it doesn’t take a break for summer. Whether you’re travelling around Canada or staying close to home
When Nick Evans was in high school, the school rugby team was encouraging students to donate blood. He figured he’d give it a try, and now, more than 40 years later, he’s still going strong.
Along the way, he’s also inspired many others to join him in helping patients.
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MARY BEAUCAGE
Published Sept. 19, 2022
A kidney donation in 2015 didn’t just free Mary Beaucage from dialysis. It empowered her to work to improve care for others, especially Indigenous patients — and in doing so, to be a part of strengthening their communities.
“For us to have our health, to have our physical strength even, that helps us do the work to regain culture, language and traditions,” says Mary, 53, who lives in Nipissing First Nation in northern Ontario. “When I was on dialysis, I wanted to go to language classes to study Anishinaabemowin on days when I didn’t have treatment. But I had such brain fog I couldn’t retain anything.
“Learning about plants as medicine, or history, or building a lodge — you can’t do any of that if you’re on dialysis. You just can’t.”
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