Giving blood really is something amazing, discovers Anna Tuckett – Salisbury Journal

The latest adaptation of Dracula, shown on BBC1 in the first week of January, was the subject of much praise and discussion. Taking on this deathless story that has been revived so many times already is no easy task. The shows creators, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, gave it a bold makeover, taking many liberties with Bram Stokers gothic novel, and sprinkling it with memorable one-liners. I enjoyed watching this irreverent take on a well-known classic, despite not having much interest in vampires, or any other supernatural beings it helped that the two actors, who played the main characters, were both excellent. Claes Bang, the Danish actor who portrayed Dracula, was so charismatic that he made some of the previous depictions of the bloodthirsty Count look rather anaemic. Dolly Wells, who played the other main character, Sister Agatha van Helsing, the polymath vampire hunter, spoke English with a Dutch accent so flawless that my Dutch friend was surprised to learn she is, in fact, English.

On a more serious note, all the on-screen fake blood in Dracula made me reflect on the matter of blood donation. I only realised quite how vital donating blood is thanks to Nine Pints, Rose Georges meticulously researched and fascinating book about blood, published in 2018. Blood is truly miraculous stuff: it travels 12,000 miles a day, regulating temperature, getting rid of waste and defending us against infection. Bleeding is the biggest disease youve never heard of. George writes, explaining that: Of people who receive traumatic injuries in civilian life, up to 40 per cent die because they are bleeding.

Many countries offer payment to donors and blood is the 13th-most-traded commodity in the world, but financial incentives inevitably lead to some people lying about their health and corrupting the supply. Britain has one of safest blood supplies in the world, partly because donating is voluntary. But our reliance on volunteers presents obvious challenges, which is why Ive decided to make it the subject of this weeks column. Unless you, or your loved one, had a life-saving transfusion, or need them regularly, you probably havent given it much thought I know I havent. Yet to ensure plentiful supply of blood and blood products such as plasma and platelets, we need almost 5,000 donations every single day. The NHS Blood and Transplant service is particularly keen to encourage men to come forward: at present, two thirds of new donors are women. Men can safely give blood more frequently: every 12 weeks, instead of every 16 weeks that women need to protect their iron levels; and men generally have higher platelet count, which means they are more likely to be accepted as a platelet donor (donating platelets takes longer, than donating blood, but is just as straightforward). Another reason men make such good donors is that their plasma is more widely usable for transfusions.

Not everyone can be a donor I am, to my regret, one of the people who cant donate but if you can, it is one of the easiest, yet most radical, ways to help others: just one donation can save as many as three lives. People who give blood also benefit: according to Mental Health Foundation, donating reduces stress and improves emotional wellbeing. Giving blood really is something amazing.

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Giving blood really is something amazing, discovers Anna Tuckett - Salisbury Journal

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Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero
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