New Brunswickers asked to donate blood in Becca Schofield’s memory

It’s been seven years since the Schofield family partnered with Canadian Blood Services, which was an important part in Becca’s brain cancer journey.

“They have helped increase her quality of life while she was with us and she would say, when she talked about blood doners, she calls them a secret superhero,” said her mother Anne Schofield. “By her getting a blood donation, she would be able to leave the hospital and spend more time at home with family where otherwise she would have had to stay in hospital.”

Becca lost her life to the disease on Feb. 17, 2018, but her legacy and a global kindness campaign are still just as strong as ever.

Between now and Jan. 3, New Brunswickers are being asked to donate blood in her memory.

“The blood donations are huge now at this time of year. I’d like to think it’s about Becca, but I hope it’s not just about Becca. I hope it’s always about people donating to help a loved one because we’ve all be touched,” Anna Schofield said. “This is the time of year that Rebecca found out that her cancer was back and terminal, and to be able to promote blood donation in her name and at this time of year is very important to us. It puts a positive in our December versus the negativity of knowing we were going to lose our daughter.”

The need for blood goes beyond the Greater Moncton area.

“Right now, the need for blood is rising. With the aging population and population increase we’re seeing, the need for more treatments and different procedures that require blood products and this is the highest demand we’ve seen in over a decade,” said Brandy Peters, the Moncton and Eastern New Brunswick Community Development manager.

She says Moncton has 400 appointments to fill, there are 200 in Saint John and about 450 in Fredericton over the next two weeks.

“One in two people are eligible to give blood, but only one in 76 does. We are able to make patient need right now, but we know we’re relying on such a small number of loyal blood donors and that’s not sustainable,” she said.

A 450 Challenge across Canada looks to bring in 450 new donors every day this winter.

“I’ve been hearing the 450 Challenge on the radio and I said, ‘I could be one of those 450 people,’ and I was kind of driving up Mapleton and I saw the sign and said, ‘It’s a sign, literally,’ and turned right and here I am,” said Steven Kwan, who donated for the first time in 13 years on Friday.

Denis Landry is a long-time donor who comes as often as he’s allowed.

“You don’t know how important it is until someone goes through it or someone needs it and then the feedback when you do donate and put it online, the feedback that people give you, thank you all the time, it’s just a warming feeling and you see how important it impacts people whether their kids or their parents or family members went to the hospital, the IWK, it creates a big impact,” he said.

In his family, donating blood is a multi-generational activity. It started first with his grandfather, who passed it down to his father, who got his entire family involved as well.

“I’ve seen him give blood so many times that I figured I would start doing it as well. He encouraged the family to follow suit and here we are today. We came with my mom and my father and occasionally my sister too and I actually invited my staff from work to come today,” said Landry.

To try and fill the growing demand, Peters says blood donor centres within the Maritimes are staying up for the entire holiday season including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

“I think with having support from families like Becca’s, our amazing partners for life program where we have a lot of support from community groups and corporate groups it’s that work that the community does to rally together that I think we’re going to continue seeing growth,” she said. “We can only hope that people continue to hear our message and are inspired to donate.”

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