18 September 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
On Sunday 17th September, 167 blood donors from all walks of life were
honoured at an IBTS Awards Ceremony in Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.
Awardees were commended for having made the remarkable achievement of
donating either 50 or 100 units of blood, an effort that sometimes
takes decades to accomplish. The Chairperson of the Irish Blood
Transfusion Service, Ms Deirdre Ann Barr, presented the Awards.
Alan O’Connell, Cork was one of the 167 blood donors from all walks of life who were honoured at an IBTS Awards Ceremony in Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork on Sunday.
Picture. John Allen
The Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy also
attended and congratulated the donors who had come from across
Munster.
Donor Services Manager, Julianne Kelly stated “without regular donors,
the IBTS would not be able to supply hospitals across the country with
the necessary blood needed for patients. Because of your generosity
and selflessness, thousands of patients across Ireland have been
helped.”
Guest speaker, Ms Tracey Walker, who has benefitted from multiple
blood and platelet transfusions, thanked the donors stating their
blood donations have helped her recovery from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Tracey’s husband Dave was among the recipients of an award for giving
100 donations.
Blood donation clinics are held in communities across Ireland as well
as in fixed clinics in Cork city and Dublin. Every week the IBTS
requires 3,000 units of blood to maintain a safe supply of blood for
hospitals across Ireland. Please visit www.giveblood.ie for more
information.