25 May 2010
A medical secretary at St Helier Hospital has been honoured at a special awards ceremony for giving blood a staggering 75 times.
Chris Lloyd, who has worked at the Trust for 10 years, was invited to the NHS Blood and Transfusion's awards ceremony and presented with a Royal Doulton crystal plate, as a thank you for being a long-term blood donor. It is estimated that, over the years, Chris' numerous donations have helped to save hundreds of lives.
Chris said: "I started giving blood in 1971 and haven't really looked back since. I didn't set out with the intention of giving so much blood, but it's become a part of my routine.
"Before I went to get my award, I didn't really think about it - I didn't think it was a big deal. But the ceremony was so special that it made me think twice about it all. There were some very moving speakers there, including one lady who suffers from sickle cell disease. She said that without regular blood transfusions she wouldn't have been able to have her family - that made it more real for me.
"The ceremony was really lovely, and I love the crystal plate I've been given. Now I'm determined to get to the 100 mark - I want to go to another lovely do like that one!
"I get a lot of satisfaction out of giving blood and knowing that I'm helping others. I think it's a really worthwhile thing to do, and I hope that other people might be encouraged to trying giving blood. You still get a free biscuit and a cup of tea afterwards too!"
Donated blood is usually separated into individual components and then used to save lives in a number of different ways - from replacing blood lost in an accident, surgery or childbirth to using platelets to help people with bone marrow failure or those undergoing chemotherapy. Chris gives whole blood donations, which is used to treat people who have suffered a severe loss of blood.
