Back to Work!

Assalam-u-Alaikum Everyone!

Yes Yes... I know I haven't posted in a while (that is such an understatement!). I am currently out of the country so it is difficult to organize things when your target audience is Canada. Nevertheless, I just wanted to let you guys know that there will be a Blood Donor Clinic coming to UTM campus tomorrow from 12 to 1 pm in the Student Centre Presentation Room.

Try your best to show up as apparently there is an urgent need for blood these days (more so than usual). Anyways, I hope somebody who is still reading this blog, ends up going..... :-)

Peace.

Shout Out!

Assalam-u-Alaikum Folks!

Below is a copy of an email I received yesterday urging for people to donate blood as there seems to be a drastic shortage of blood products this month. So please, try to donate if you can! I would be happy to book an appointment for you or find the closest donation clinic in your area. The weather is splendid, why not do something good while your out there!

Jazakallah Khairun

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Dear Syed:

Send this message to 10 friends, and you could help save lives!

There is an immediate need for donors of all blood types across the country. The need is even more urgent for type O-negative blood. Within the next week, we need an additional 2,000 Canadians to help meet the blood needs of patients. Every blood donation can help save up to three lives - that's the beauty of giving blood! We need your help to spread the word! Please send this message to at least 10 of your friends.

We encourage you to book an appointment to donate blood by calling 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283), and if you already have THANK YOU!

Some fast facts:

We serve over 700 hospitals across the country.
Every 60 seconds, someone in Canada requires blood or a blood product!
While walk-ins are welcome, appointments are preferable as they help us better plan our clinics. Please call 1 888 2 DONATE
(1-888-236-6283) today!

Thank you for helping to save lives!

Regards,
Your friends at Canadian Blood Services!

PS - Forwarding this message to 10 friends could make a life-saving difference to 30 people waiting for blood or blood products!

it's in you to give
1 888 2 DONATE
www.blood.ca

World Blood Donor Day

Assalam-u-Alaikum!

I pray that everyone is doing well. I was just reading the news and apparently Canada has been chosen to represent World Blood Donor Day on June 14, 2007 by the World Health Organization, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Society of Blood Transfusion and International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations. Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec will work in conjunction with Health Canada to thank blood donors around the world for their selfless gift, and to raise awareness for the universal need for safe blood and blood products. The following information has been extracted from Canadian NewsWire:

World Blood Donor Day was officially designated as an annual event by the World Health Assembly in 2005. It has been hosted previously in the United Kingdom, and Thailand. About 60 per cent of the global blood supply is donated in developed countries where less than 20 per cent of the world's population live-this leaves many countries with acute blood shortages. Less than a quarter of countries have achieved 100 per cent voluntary blood donation. Many countries still depend to varying degrees on blood donation by the friends or family of a patient needing transfusion and, in some countries, some donors are still paid to give blood.

"Increasing the number of voluntary blood donors to give blood regularly is important all around the world," says Dr. Neelam Dhingra, Coordinator, Blood Transfusion Safety, World Health Organization. "While June 14th is a special day, World Blood Donor Day is part of a larger international campaign to ensure safe blood will always be available to every patient who needs transfusion as part of their treatment."

In Canada, World Blood Donor Day falls within National Blood Donor Week which is celebrated by events in towns and cities across the country.
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Congratulations to all those people who helped save lives through donating blood, may Allah grant you success in this life and in the hereafter. And may He help the rest of us in committing such noble deeds.

Peace.

Summer's here... Where are you?

Assalam-u-Alaikum Folks!

My apologies for not posting for about a month, I could get into the excuses but that would be pointless :-) . Anywhoo, I received a letter from CBS (Canadian Blood Services) a few weeks ago urging to donate this summer. While the need for blood exists throughout the year, why does CBS place a special emphasis over this particular season?

Well quite simply put, it is because fewer people donate over the summer period, due to the fact that many are vacationing or out enjoying the sun and making their own summer memories. Therefore it is imperative that we try to donate blood this summer as soon as we can, as it can help save countless lives.

Now wouldn't that be a great summer memory?

My Bad!

Assalam-u-Alaikum Folks,

Sorry for not being able to post for the past week, just been busy with exams and end of the school-year stuff! I am working on some stuff for the website and will post them up right after exams inshAllah, which is the 15th of April for me. My apologies once again..

For Me?? Why Thank You!!

Assalam-u-Alaikum!

Hope everyone is doing well. Have you ever considered what kind of benefits you might be getting from donating blood? Well, recent studies have shown that there might be certain physical benefits attached to blood donation.

We all know that our blood contains iron; iron is an important nutrient for your body and for your health. It helps your cells "breathe". Iron works with protein to make the hemoglobin in red blood cells. The hemoglobin carries oxygen to all parts of the body so it can perform its normal functions. The body stores iron in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. A study was conducted comparing people who donate blood to people who do not. The research entailed in analyzing if having high levels of iron in your blood has anything to do with heart disease. The results were astounding! This should get everyone to donate blood! :-) Check it out...

Mild iron deficiency has been hypothesised to reduce risk of heart disease risk, while a high concentration of body iron has been suggested as a risk factor for myocardial infarction.

In the 24 months before the baseline examinations 153 (5.7%) of the 2682 participants had donated blood. During follow up, one (0.7%) of the donors experienced an acute myocardial infarction compared with 226 (9.8%) of the 2529 non-donors (P<0.001>1) shows that, in a multivariate model adjusted for the main coronary risk factors, the blood donors' risk of acute myocardial infarction was 86% less than that of the non-donors (relative risk 0.14, 95% confidence interval 0.02 to 0.97, P=0.047).

We suggest that the loss of iron associated with giving blood might be the reason for the observed risk reduction. However, voluntary blood donors seem to be generally more health conscious and more healthy than those who do not donate blood, and this may have caused self selection bias. In our study the association between donating blood and reduced risk for myocardial infarction was weakened but remained significant after adjustment for the main coronary risk factors. Our finding needs to be confirmed in other prospective population studies, and investigation of the impact of iron depletion on atherosclerotic progression or coronary events is necessary to test the above theory.

This information was collected from BMJ. http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/314/7083/793#T1

Red Defender: The Super Hero!

Assalam-u-Alaikum!

Just thought I'd post this video I found. It is a commercial that the CBS and the American Blood Services use to promote blood donation. Check it out, its quite hilarious!