An appeal has gone out for up to 2,000 more people to come forward to donate blood platelets.
These blood components are essential to help blood to clot properly and are needed by many people undergoing cancer treatment. Chemotherapy often damages a patient's bone marrow cells where the platelets are made and make the patient more prone to spontaneous bleeding.
Donations of platelets from up to 150 individuals can be required to treat just one patient with leukaemia.
Paddy Bowler, director of operations at the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), yesterday said demand for platelets had increased by 50 per cent over the past five years largely because of the number of new cases of cancer and the numbers of people undergoing chemotherapy.
"The IBTS needs at least 22,000 donations of platelets a year to meet this demand," he said.
For more information on becoming a platelet donor, text "platelet" to 53377 or call the IBTS at (01) 432 2833.