As an ex-volunteer firefighter, Cesar Rogacion understands the importance of donating blood and plasma. He recently joined the CrestClean Tauranga team in their three-monthly blood drive, proudly contributing to this life-saving cause.
This was Cesar’s second time donating blood in New Zealand, but back home in the Philippines, he would donate blood or plasma every six months.
“I saw where the blood was going, so I’m happy to be able to donate here in New Zealand,” he says.
“It’s a good way to help the community as a whole.”
The Tauranga franchise owner was impressed by NZ Blood’s upgraded facility and its friendly staff. Since relocating to their new premises on April 8, NZ Blood has expanded their donor beds from nine to fifteen and introduced state-of-the-art Aurora plasma machines, enhancing the efficiency of plasma donations.
“It’s very, very good. They treat you like a King!” he says.
“They have everything in their facility. When you go to NZ Blood, your heart is going to be very happy because it’s all love in there.”
Tauranga Regional Master Franchisee, Jan Lichtwark, commits to a blood donation every three months and calls on franchise owners, customers and local CrestClean staff to join him. With NZ Blood’s recently upgraded facilities, the donation process is straightforward, and the friendly staff ensure every donor feels at ease throughout the experience.
“We are now meeting every three months to give blood. We also encourage our business partners to come along to support the cause,” says Jan.
New Zealand needs over 5,000 blood donations per week to keep up with demand. Setting aside an hour of your time every three months could save up to three lives.
“There’s always someone who needs the blood,” says Cesar.
“It also benefits me. I called it an oil change. When I give blood, I make new blood, and I feel good.”
Only 4% of New Zealand’s eligible population are donors. Cesar is a strong advocate for blood donation and encourages his employees to join him. Two of his team members have already booked appointments to donate next week. Cesar loves the features of the NZ Blood app which makes it easy to book appointments and notifies users when their blood has been used.
As someone who has seen those in need of blood, Cesar says he is grateful to be able to help meet the growing demand for donors.
“It makes you realise that you need to be grateful every day. Be thankful that you can donate and help others.”
