A boy who survived grueling cancer treatments with help from five anonymous blood donors is inspiring others to give the gift that helped save his life.
Mitch Head graduates from his Port Coquitlam preschool on Friday, after a difficult year of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"We wiped out his red blood cells. We wiped out his platelets. We wiped out his white cells at various points of the treatment," said Dr. Lucy Turnham from the hematology and oncology unit at BC Children's Hospital.
In addition to cancer, Mitch and his older brother were both born with the blood clotting disorder hemophilia. Mitch needed five blood transfusions over the past year, his mother said, but now he's doing well and in remission.
"He'll start kindergarten in the fall and he's going to be like any other five-year-old. He's going to keep rocking it and be our super Mitch," Kathleen Head said.
Dr. Turnham is also optimistic about his future: "I think he'll live a long and healthy life."
The pint-sized patient spent part of his day on Thursday saying thank you to those that help kids like him. He visited a Vancouver Canadian Blood Services clinic, speaking to people as they donated, nibbling on cookies and sipping some juice.
A director of donor relations at Canadian Blood Services said Mitch's story highlights the urgent need for donations.
"We have over 5,000 open appointments to fill between now and July 1, and that's not a long way away," David Patterson said.
Donations fell behind in the Vancouver area during an unusually snowy winter, and the supply never caught back up.
"Today we are really calling out that need… and hoping we can again get our regular donors back in one more time. But most importantly, we need to bring in new donors," Patterson said.
Canadian Blood Services estimates that one in two Canadians will either need blood or know someone who will at some point in their lives. To keep up with demand, CBS must collect 16,000 units of blood a week across Canada.
The organization also estimates that half of Canadians are eligible to give blood, but only one in 60 actually makes a donation.
National Blood Donor Week is June 11 to 17. For more information on how to make a donation, and to make an appointment, visit the Canadian Blood Services website.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson
