A plasma donor from Banchory is part of a national campaign to attract 16,000 more people to give blood.
Jake Dikie, 60, said he would do anything he could to help other people and giving blood, and now plasma is something he thinks anyone who can should do.
Saying ‘we all have it in us to give blood’, he asked people to think about being a regular donor.
Mr Dickie, who owns a landscape and gardening company, was speaking at the start of World Blood Donor Day.
And from tonight, he will be appearing across TV and online platforms helping to promote the message that anyone can donate.
Mr Dickie said: “I was one of the first plasma donors in Scotland, and I started donating in the autumn last year.
“I had been donating blood for a many years, with a few stops for operations and sepsis and the like, and the team in Aberdeen asked if I would consider giving plasma.
“It takes a little longer to donate, and you can donate every four week – but I was pleased to.”
It is all about helping people
He continued: “It is all about helping other people. We have all got it in us to help.
“I have had a transfusion myself and I have had operations and illness and needed blood – so I know just how life changing it can be.
“I was asked if I wouldn’t mind donating plasma and I said yes. I think my plasma group was in demand. It was all fairly new for the people at the hospital.
“The nurses in the unit were working on brand new machines and doing a procedure that was new to them.
“The nurses are a really friendly bunch and make you feel at ease. It is a few hours of your time and you are saving the lives of children and adults with serious conditions.”
Debbie McNaughton, of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service said: “We are pleased to launch our new advertising campaign and I would like to extend my thanks to all the donors who have featured in it.
“The campaign is required to help us recruit new blood donors.
“We currently have 96,295 blood donors and we need to build this to 105,000 active blood donors.
We are calling on you
“We are asking 16,000 new or returning donors to come forward in the next 12 months.”
The service has a 7% increase in the demand for blood from hospitals, post pandemic.
She continued: “The global theme for World Blood Donor Day this year is ‘Giving blood is an act of solidarity’. We are calling people like you to give blood.
“Our message to the people of Scotland is very simple. We need people like you to come forward and register as a blood donor.”
What are blood donor numbers like where you are?
ABERDEEN
There are 11,091 active donors in the Grampian area.
There are also nearly 6,000 people registered as blood donors who are yet to give blood.
Patients rely on 30 new Grampian donors per week to come and give blood.
Giving blood is safe with infection control measures in place at every session, it really is a most valuable hour of your time.
To book an appointment visit scotblood.co.uk or give our team a call on 0345 90 90 999 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.
INVERNESS
There are currently 8,006 active donors in the Inverness area
There are also nearly 2,900 people registered as blood donors who are yet to give blood.
Patients rely on 15 new Invernesshire donors per week to come and give blood,
ScotBlood would particularly like to welcome donors to Inverness Donor Centre, where they are keen to welcome 160 donors per week.
To book an appointment visit scotblood.co.uk or give our team a call on 0345 90 90 999 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.
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