5:41pm Tuesday 1st April 2008
By Citizen reporter
A Preston man has been honoured at a special event at Lancashire Cricket Club to thank the region's most dedicated blood donors.
Sixty two year old civil servant Colin McNamee, from Salmesbury, received an award for making 75 donations.
After having a stroke just a few weeks before the ceremony he was given special permission to leave hospital for just a few hours to attend.
Colin first gave blood around 44 years ago at the age of 18 after being prompted by television adverts.
When asked what has kept him giving over the years, Colin said: "Playing a small part towards a national need.
"I am contacted twice a year to donate my blood which is soon replaced by my own system."
As each donation of blood is split into red cells, platelets and plasma, Colin's donations have potentially helped save the lives of over two hundred patients in the North West.
He said: "My current wife gave birth to twins before I met her, and had a blood transfusion then.
"She was also given blood when she had a hysterectomy."
Colin was presented with his award by Rachelle Whalley, who received a blood transfusion while pregnant with her first son, Joshua, in 1998.
She said: "I was very anaemic and this was unable to be corrected by medication so I received blood.
"This ultimately saved my life as I suffered complications and had an emergency Caesarean section 30 weeks into my pregnancy.
"Nine weeks later Joshua also needed a transfusion to enable him to have an operation so that he could finally leave hospital.
"He was allowed home on New Years Day 1999.
"Without blood donors, we might not be alive today."
Rachel Hollingworth, spokesman for the National Blood Service, said: "Of the UK population who could give blood, only around five per cent actually do, and of those donors, only a tiny percentage reach seventy five donations.
"Donors like Colin are very special, and we'd like to thank him on behalf of all the patients who have benefited from his kindness."
Anyone aged between 17 and 60, weighing more than 50 kg (7 stone 12 lbs) and in general good health could potentially start saving lives by becoming a blood donor.
For more information, or to make an appointment to give blood, call 0845 7 711 711 or click the link below for details.
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