In 2018, 7,494 new plasma donors came to give their best in our donor centers. A plasma donation can only be done at a regular donor center because it requires a special collection device that separates the plasma from the blood. After all, unlike a blood donation, you get your blood cells back.

Belgian Red Cross-Flanders has been mandated by the government since 2017 to collect 5% more plasma each year than the previous year. So we are always looking for new donors! Would you like to join Team Plasma? Then check here where you can go in your area!

Not sure what plasma is? No worries! We're happy to explain that to you in the video below.

Did you know that 1 in 3 people with Turkish, North or Central African roots do not find a matching stem cell donor? Only for 65% of these patients a donor is found in the global database. By comparison, for about 90% of patients with European roots a match is found in that same registry.

That's why we launched a campaign to look for as many stem cell donors with foreign roots as possible. Only when sickle cell anemia patients like Bernis or Dieudonné receive healthy stem cells will their lives be completely different. Samuel, with Belgian father and Ghanaian mother, has already registered as a stem cell donor!

Just turned 18 or several years past that age... Our blood donors are of all ages. But the "young blood" is certainly well represented: 42% of our donors are under 35 years old!

This is followed by the 36 to 49 year olds - who account for almost 26%, or more than 1 in 4. Finally, about 1 in 10 donors is over 60! By the way, did you know that the maximum age limit for blood donation was abolished in early 2019? Now you can donate even after the age of ⁷¹, if you meet some conditions! You can read all the info here.

Wondering who all these donors are? Check out #TheDay's mini-report in Everyone Famous on One 😊

This year we also collected blood from companies. No less than 146 times we went to draw blood from people in the workplace. Easy for every employee and good for our blood supply!

Would you like to invite us to your workplace to do a good deed together with your colleagues?
Then find all the info here!

Which usually tough colleague is afraid of needles? 😏

Belgian Red Cross-Flanders collects blood, plasma and platelets. In 2018, our amazing donors provided exactly 381,111 successful donations - that's about 10,000 more than in 2017!

That impressive figure consists of...

• 250,933 successful blood donations
• 114,482 successful plasma donations
• 15,696 successful platelet donations

Thank you, donors!

Would you also like to donate blood, plasma or platelets?
Then find all the information HERE.

Always welcome!

Last year we delivered 644,980 safe blood products, both to hospitals in Flanders and Brussels and to plasma fractionator CSL Behring. That's about 6,000 more than last year!

We always guarantee maximum safety of our blood products. No matter how often someone donates, we test his or her blood, plasma or platelet concentrate just as thoroughly every time. Our Central Laboratory (CELA) tested all 381,111 donations for the presence of HIV, hepatitis B and C and syphilis, among others. Want to know more about the safety of our blood products? Then you can read more about it here!

Safety first 😉