'We're always looking for blood': Canadian Blood Services

The Canadian Blood Services want more people to donate blood over the holidays, as bad weather and busy people can bring donations down, but demand always stays high.

Holidays, bad weather can put a dent in the Canadian Blood Services' national inventory

Rafferty Baker · CBC News · Posted: Dec 23, 2016 10:00 AM EST | Last Updated: December 23, 2016

Jim Sliziak, 59, gives blood for the 124th time at a Vancouver clinic. "This is my lunch break," he said. "Get it done and get back to work." (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

Jim Sliziak, 59, sits reclined in a chair at the Oak Street Donor Clinic in Vancouver.

The blood-filled tube coming out of his arm leads to a bag on a little rocker next to the chair. The equipment beeps, indicating a full bag of blood.

"This is my lunch break," explains Sliziak, wearing his bus driver's uniform. "Get it done and get back to work."

This is Sliziak's 124th time donating blood. Next time he'll get a pin to recognize his contribution.

"For 100 they sent us off for a dinner and I got a framed document that said I'd done 100," he said. "Maybe I'll aim for 150 or 200."

Sliziak has been donating blood for decades, but in the chair next to him Megan Cindric, 41, is giving blood for the first time.

Megan Cindric, 41, presses gauze to her arm after giving blood for the first time in her life. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

"I was nervous. I'm not a big needles person, but the staff here was great. They make you very comfortable so it went really well," Cindric said.

"I feel fine, a little bit queasy, but that's just being a bit of a baby."

Cindric promised herself that she'd give blood after she had children and heard that the Canadian Blood Services was short on donations.

Bad weather keeps people at home

David Patterson is Canadian Blood Services' director of donor relations for B.C-Yukon.

"We were in a tough problem across the country," Patterson said Thursday. "We had snow storms right across the country from coast to coast. We cancelled clinics in both Ontario and the Maritimes, and our national inventory was dropping to where we didn't want it to be."

"We always need blood," says David Patterson. He says the need grows during the holiday season when people are busy and many leave town. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

Patterson said since the call went out and weather in most areas improved, more people started coming in to give blood. But he said the next couple of weeks could be challenging.

"For the next two weeks we have over 3,000 open appointments," he said, adding there's still 500 empty appointments for the clinics in B.C. this week,

"We're trying to make sure we meet the need of patients — patients that aren't in as good shape as we are this Christmas, patients that are in hospital beds across the country who really need this gift of life to make it through the holidays," said Patterson.

People wait for their turns to give blood at the Oak Street clinic in Vancouver. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

"The blood we take today … will be likely in a patient within five to six days," he said. "We're always looking for blood."

'My blood flows'

Nearby, Caitlyn van Dijk occupies one of the reclined chairs with a needle stuck into the vein in her arm.

Her machine is beeping with a full bag of blood.

Caitlyn van Dijk tries to give blood regularly. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

"I feel like I do get them done really fast. My blood flows, so that's good," she said squeezing a little ball. "They put this thing in my hand and I just pump away."

"It's nice to know that I'm going to make a difference, that the blood is going to people that need it," said van Dijk, adding that she enjoys the cookies and juice she gets after each blood donation.

"I go for the Oreos every time."