A LITTLE Sutton man was among those honoured for rolling up their sleeves to help save lives at a recent awards ceremony held by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
Edward Morning was presented with a commemorative crystal plate for making a highly commendable 75 donations.
Each blood donation can potentially save the lives of up to three people, so Mr Morning’s dedication could have helped up to 225 patients.
He was presented with his award by grateful blood recipient Paul Rice during a ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Liverpool city centre.
Paul, who works as the chief executive of Liverpool’s commercial district, was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called myelodysplasia last year. Since then, he has received countless blood and platelet transfusions, along with a bone marrow transplant earlier this year.
Speaking at the ceremony, he expressed his gratitude to the long-standing blood donors in attendance and pointed out that without people like them regularly giving blood, the treatment he received at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital would not have been possible.
He said: “I can’t praise highly enough the staff at the Royal – I received incredible care.
“But no matter how good all those professional medical staff are, I wouldn’t be standing here now if it wasn’t for people like you.
“I tried to sit down and work out how many units of blood I’ve had but I just lost count.”
Mr Rice added that he previously thought of blood recipients as only those being treated in accident and emergency departments after injuries. But his experiences have taught him the majority of donated blood goes to people like himself who are living with common illnesses and disorders.
Anyone aged over 17, weighing more than 50kg (7st 12lb) and in general good health could potentially start saving lives by becoming a blood donor.
For details of sessions in the area or to book an appointment, telephone 0300 123 2323 or visit www.blood.co.uk.
