Niall Harron and Geraldine Corrigan – long time blood donors
TWO LOCAL blood donors, who between them have donated over 100 times and helped save countless lives have encouraged the people of Fermanagh to give the gift of life.
Geraldine Corrigan from Ballinamallard and Niall Harron from Clabby have both donated blood for over 20 years and attended a special Gold Awards night, at Kelly’s Inn, Ballygawley last month for achieving their Gold Badge for donations and to celebrate the incredible number of lives they have saved. Guest speaker on the night was Enniskillen leukaemia survivor Noirin O’Neill. In a moving address Noirin told the 200 local blood donors in attendance just how vital their donations were in saving her life.
Part-time teacher Geraldine Corrigan started donating blood at teacher training college nearly 40 years ago and has now donated 52 times in total.
“A friend asked me to go with her to the blood donation unit at the college and I went. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but now it’s just that small wee thing that we do to make such a difference.”
The 59-year-old donates two to three times a year and believes it is something everyone should do.
“Everybody that needs our blood type have to endure so much and we can offer relief. It’s so necessary, people really need it, it doesn’t take long and it makes such a difference.”
Clabby man Niall Harron, a HGV lorry driver by trade, has donated 55 times since he began in the early 1990s and hearing the story of Noirin O’Neill reinforced his convictions for donating.
“It was an amazing story. When you hear it as they say from the horse’s mouth. She was on death’s bed only for the blood.”
The 48-year-old tries to donate three times a year, usually at a local session in Tempo and called on more people in the county to get involved to save lives.
“It’s very much needed, more so than in the past. Most of the time it’s half an hour. It’s costing you nothing to give it and you get it for nothing. It’s freely received and freely given. You’re saving someone’s life, it’s the same as organ donation, you’re saving lives. You go out of the session and you’re no different after them taking a pint of blood out of you, your life is still normal. It’s a small sacrifice and it makes such a big difference. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old if you’re saving a life you’re saving a life.”
Charles Kinney, Donor Services General Manager for the for the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS) added: “There is a constant need for blood. We need almost 1,500 people to come forward each and every week. Many people do not realise just how quickly their donation will be transfused into one of the 500 patients who receive blood each and every week.”
If you need any further information on how you can become a blood donor, you can contact the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service by calling 0500 534 666, Text BLOOD to 60081, or log on to the website www.nibts.org
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