As she sat waiting for test results, Sue Busuttil, who had given birth to a nine-month stillborn, vowed she would become a blood donor if all went well.

When she received the go-ahead, she kept her promise and soon understood the significance of her donation. Her sister, then receiving cancer treatment, had at one point needed four bags of donated blood.

“Women can donate around one bag of blood every four months. My late sister – Joanna Bonnici – had needed four bags in one transfusion… that means four donors,” Sue said.

“I was impressed and was driven to donate even more.”

Busuttil lost her third child at 39 weeks some 15 years ago.

“People were trying to cheer me up by telling me that I had two healthy little boys but I don’t think anyone who hasn’t gone through something similar understands the pain and sense of helplessness,” she said.

She feared that, if she got pregnant again, she might experience complications, so she underwent blood tests to understand what had gone wrong.

“I recall feeling very low, sitting in the waiting area at the previous blood transfusion centre. I was surrounded by posters urging people to donate blood and I happened to glance at a picture of Jesus,” Sue said.

“I made a promise, I told Jesus: if I recover, I’ll donate blood for the rest of my life.

“When I received the call with the good news, the first thing I asked was: can I give blood?”

Busuttil, now a mother-of-three, recalls initially feeling uneasy when seeing blood, however, she soon came over the fear.

“Apart from being aware of its importance in the treatment of cancer, I was once called from hospital as a new-born needed blood that matched mine.

“As a mother who had suffered a loss, I will never forget the feeling of urgency I felt that day… and I’m grateful that I managed to turn my loss into a positive experience.”

Drop in supply of blood

The call for blood that Sue answered back then is relevant today more than ever.

The pandemic might have seen a drop in demand as several operations were postponed.

However, supply went down as well and, as things start going back to normal, the national blood transfusion service unit is calling on people to give the gift of blood this Christmas.

Between March and November this year, 13,379 people dropped in at the NBTS to see if they could donate blood, a drop of 2,149 people when compared to the same period of last year.

NBTS director Alex Aquilina told Times of Malta that blood transfusion is required in cases of traffic or work accidents, therapy for cancer and other chronic diseases, surgical interventions, pre-term deliveries and pregnancy complications.

“It is no wonder that, every day, around 40 units are transfused. Many medical interventions cannot be carried out if blood is not available in case it is needed. Without the availability of blood, patients’ lives are at risk,” he said.

Those interested in donating blood can look up ‘National Blood Transfusion Service – Malta’ on Facebook.