WHEN it comes to donating blood, Olwen Steel doesn’t like anything to stand in her way.
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The Albury teacher yesterday notched up her 300th donation, describing her dedication to the task as “an addiction”.
She began donating at the age of 17 and came to need the service herself in 1990 when she had to have brain surgery.
By then, she had made 49 donations.
But her recovery meant it would be two years before she would be able to donate again and it was a difficult wait.
The experience only cemented her commitment to blood donation.
She has given about 270 litres during the course of 43 years.
The thought that she can play a part in saving a life is what inspires her, even if she will never know how many lives she has saved.
According to the Red Cross Blood Service, Australians make about 1.2 million blood donations each year.
This represents only about 3.5 per cent of the eligible donor population.
We can surely do better and people such as Ms Steel are a great reminder of that. Not everybody can manage the same level of commitment as Ms Steel but for those of us who have the ability to give something, she’s a great reminder that we should.