long-time Lifeblood nurse, recently diagnosed with leukemia, has issued a personal plea for people
in her local Cranbourne community and across Australia to donate blood and join the stem cell donor
registry.
Sheela Joseph, a familiar face to donors at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s Frankston Donor Centre,
said these simple, kind acts provide hope and truly have the potential to save lives.
On average, one acute leukemia patient relies on the blood donations of 18 people each month for
their treatment. While a stem cell transplant is the best option for many high-risk patients.
Sheela, who has worked at Lifeblood for 11 years, said she sees the best in people when they donate
blood and plasma.
“I often think about where the blood is going, whose life it will impact and the flow on effect to their
loved ones,” Sheela said.
“I want to take this moment to urge people to join the stem cell donor registry at their next blood or
plasma donation. The more people who are on the registry, the more patients could be given a
second chance at life.”
Lifeblood’s Frankston Donor Centre team is rallying around kind-hearted Sheela.
Centre Manager Janet Brangsch said Sheela’s desire to help others continues to shine through, even
in her own time of need.
“Sheela is one of nearly 20,000 people diagnosed with blood cancer in Australia each year,” Janet
said.
“Seventy percent of the patients who go on to need a stem cell transplant don’t have a match within
their family and rely on the stem cell donor registry. That is why it is so important to boost numbers.
“Men, aged 18-35 years old, are often the most successful blood stem cell donors. We also need to
increase the ethnic diversity of the registry to reflect our multicultural community because patients are
more likely to find a match with a donor from the same ethnic background.
“A larger and more diverse registry would provide more opportunities to find matches for patients in
Australia.”
Donating blood stem cells is a safe and straight forward process, similar to donating plasma and
takes place in a comfortable chair. If you’re identified as a match, the donation is made in hospital as
an outpatient. More information here.
To join the Stem Cell Donor Registry at a Lifeblood Donor Centre, book a blood or plasma donation. A
sample will be taken at the time and used to match donors to patients. Call 13 14 95, visit
www.lifeblood.com.au or download the DonateBlood app to book a donation. Donors can also join the
registry using a cheek swab. For more information, visit the Stem Cell Donors Australia website.