Kahnawake shows up for blood drive

Wayne Zachary knows why he chooses to give blood, recalling how he felt watching TV ads about children in need.

“You’re sitting at home on the couch, and you feel sorry for kids. They need blood every day, so I said if I can help, I’m going to do it.”

And help he did – Tuesday’s blood drive at the Mohawk Super Bingo was the Kahnawa’kehró:non’s 31st time giving blood.

“If you want to help people, that’s one way to help people. Some people are not well. If you’re well, you should. That’s the way I feel. I feel I’m pretty healthy and I can help,” Zachary said.

The blood donor clinic, held this time around by KMHC in partnership with the KMF and Hema Quebec, surpassed its goal of 75 donors with 87.

“We’ve had a steady stream of people coming in, and it’s great to see our community members donating,” said Robin Guyer, director of nursing and community care at KMHC, at the event.

“It just warms my heart. I know it’s needed, so it’s great to see everyone.”

Guyer said many Kahnawa’kehró:non depend on blood donations for their care, all the more reason for those who can to consider giving.

“It’s always important to give back to help the people in need,” Guyer said.

While the blood clinic is a one-day affair, it’s expected to continue to return annually, and Guyer emphasized it’s a relatively easy process for those who might be considering giving for the first time.

“It’s easy and it doesn’t take too long. It just takes an hour or so out of your day, and the impact that it can have is very great, so I encourage everybody to do it.”

While the annual blood donor clinic was KMHC’s first, blood drives have long been a staple in Kahnawake, with The Eastern Door coordinating the annual event alongside Hema Quebec for 20 years before passing the torch to the hospital.

“I’m happy to see KMHC take it over, it was time,” said Eastern Door editor/publisher Steve Bonspiel. “We organized it diligently every year and our efforts saved thousands of lives, but now it’s on them and their staff to bring it to new levels, and we support them fully, as everyone should.”

The annual event gives Kahnawa’kehró:non the opportunity to give blood in their own backyard rather than travelling outside of town. According to Hema Quebec, a single donation can save four lives, but 1,000 donations a day are needed to keep the blood bank stocked.

"On behalf of the recipients, the staff and volunteers of Hema Quebec would like to warmly thank the donors, the organizers and particularly the members of the community who came to donate," said Josée Larivée, spokesperson for Hema Quebec.

Larivée noted that eight donors were giving for the first time, which always gives the organization hope for donations in the future – eight donors were first-timers on Tuesday. "Our greatest wish, during the next collection in Kahnawake, is to see these eight people again, giving for the second time, and we wish to welcome others for a first donation," Larivée said.

The veteran donors were also out in full force. Erica Flo McComber, who always donates in Kahnawake, was giving blood for the 15th time at this week’s blood drive. 

“I always give, you never know,” said McComber.

She said the process is easy, and doing it in town makes a difference. “You don’t have to go far,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that give in Kahnawake.”

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Note: This article has been updated to include a representative of Hema Quebec who was not available to provide comment by deadline.