Donor Sue’s blood is worth bottling

Sue Wheatley has been giving blood for the best part of 30 years, and last month reached a milestone at the Southbank donation centre, donating for the 300th time.

Despite the enormity of the milestone, Sue was unfazed, saying she’d lost count of the number of times long ago and was just happy to come in regularly.

“I see the nurses here more often than I see some of my family!” Sue admitted.

Sue started giving blood when she decided to go along with a former work colleague.

“She had gone with someone else at work, who fainted while at the centre. I said to her next time I’d go with her, but she never wanted to take a work colleague again. I went along anyway,” Sue explained.

Sue said there were multiple benefits to giving blood and encouraged everyone who could to do so. She said doing a good deed for others left her with a “feel-good factor” but this was not the only benefit.

“Coming here every two weeks, getting blood tested is part of the trip, so it’s a good way to check on how healthy I am as well.”

Blood Service spokesperson Erin Lagoudakis said at a time when the Olympics was on, it was important to remember to value the work blood donors.

“While our athletes are heroes on the sporting field, there are other rewarding ways to be a hero. Every blood donor is a life-saver, and anyone who saves a life is a hero in my book!” Ms Lagoudakis said.

She also suggested giving blood was only going to become more important into the future, saying: “With demand set to double in the next 10 years, it’s vital that Australia has a strong number of donors to ensure a safe and stable supply.”