**** Canadian Blood Service  Media Release

Cancer survivor asks Nova Scotians to give life this holiday season​

WHAT​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Four-year-old Violet McInnis of Halifax spent her first Christmas fighting for her life at the IWK Children’s Hospital. At just nine months old, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Her platelets were very low, and it was then that she received her first of many blood transfusions. During her seven-month stay, Violet underwent a variety of chemotherapy treatments, numerous procedures, and countless lifesaving transfusions. Without these transfusions, Violet would not have been able to handle the intense chemo she needed to live.

Violet finished chemotherapy in December 2018 and to celebrate her health, she is asking people to make saving a life their greatest gift this holiday season. Violet and her family will thank blood donors in Halifax for keeping their appointment during the busy holiday season to ensure patients receive the blood they need over the holidays, like she did three years ago. Blood donors will also be treated to holiday sweets and live holiday music by Violet’s grandfather, singer and host of East Coast Countdown, Jimmie Inch.

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Canadian Blood Services encourages new and returning donors to book and keep appointments between Dec. 23 and Jan. 5. During that time, more than 3,000 blood donors are needed in the Maritimes. Blood donations at this time will be essential to collect platelets, a vital blood component with a short expiry of seven days that many patients living with cancer or a blood disorder may need for treatment.​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

WHO​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Violet McInnis, mother Kathleen Ellis, father Ian McInnis

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Peter MacDonald, Canadian Blood Services

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WHEN​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Saturday, December 21, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 pm

WHERE​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Halifax Blood Donor Centre, 7071 Bayers Road

To book an appointment, locate a donor centre, check your eligibility, and more, use the Give Blood App or visit blood.ca.

About Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Services is a not-for-profit charitable organization. Regulated by Health Canada as a biologics manufacturer and primarily funded by the provincial and territorial ministries of health, Canadian Blood Services operates with a national scope, infrastructure and governance that make it unique within Canadian healthcare. In the domain of blood, plasma and stem cells, we provide services for patients on behalf of all provincial and territorial governments except Quebec. The national transplant registry for interprovincial organ sharing and related programs reaches into all provinces and territories, as a biological lifeline for Canadians.