Vancouver shooting survivor joins blood donation campaign

British Columbians put plenty of important activities on hold during the pandemic, including giving blood. Canadian Blood Services says it has lost 30,000 regular donors in the past two years.

Now, during National Blood Donor Week, the agency is making an urgent appeal for more people to roll up their sleeves.

“Basically what people need to know is we need them. And we need them to actually resume donating or begin donating now,” said Gayle Voyer with the B.C. and Yukon division of Canadian Blood Services.

Paul Dragan has joined the effort. The Vancouver bike shop owner wouldn’t be alive today without anonymous blood donation. He was shot by an ex-employee outside a Yaletown Starbucks in July 2014.

“I basically bled out on the sidewalk,” said Dragan. “Fortunately, the paramedics and the trauma a team at (Vancouver General Hospital) could get me there in time and they had enough blood in the hospital to save my life.” Dragan required 60 units of blood. He was told the human body only holds about 80 units.

Voyer said Dragan is an example of a life saved by blood donors.

“When you have someone like Paul that has had that life-changing experience when the blood was there when he needed, we want that to continue to happen,” she said.

But donations dried up during the pandemic, and many regulars have not returned. So Canada Blood Services says it needs 100,000 returning or new donors to sign up by the end of the year to ensure patient needs are met.

“If we have that small donor base that’s supporting us right now and we don’t think its sustainable, then we need more people to come out and support us,” said Voyer. “Really at the end of the day, you’re supporting hospital patients in need, patients like Paul.”

Dragan, who has fully recovered from the shooting that could have killed him, has become a blood donor himself.

“It’s like giving anonymously to charity, you are doing something that will make you feel good,” he said. “It’s a terrific feeling to give blood. And you’re helping someone you never know.”