12-year-old cancer survivor helps launch Saskatoon blood clinic

The ribbon gets cut today at Saskatoon's new Canadian Blood Services clinic. The new location at 1206 Emerson Avenuehas been operating since July, but the celebration today marks its official kick-off.

"We did feel that we needed to get out of the old building.It was showing its age, "said SusanMatsumoto, the organization's donor relations director.

"We have this wonderful opportunity to really take all the learning we've had as an organization over the last 17 years and create a clinic."

• Saskatoon's Carolyn and Micah Anderson walk for childhood cancer

"We collect just over 20,000 units of whole blood a year and we also collect a product called platelets which areresponsible for clotting in your blood," saidMatsumoto.

MicahAnderson knows the value of platelets. The 12-year-old was on hand for the ribbon cutting. He was diagnosed with brain cancer at age nine. The cancer is now in remission, and a transfusion of platelets helped him through his difficult treatment.

Micah's father Doug Andersonalso attendedthe event. He and Micah wanted to drive home the importance of giving blood.

"One day he got a nosebleed, his nose started to bleed and it wouldn't stop and it just kept going," explained Anderson during an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

"He had an ice cream bucket he was holding under his face to catch all the blood and it was all full of Kleenex."

Required transfusion

After taking his son to the emergency room Anderson learned Micah's platelet count was dangerously low, a side effect from the boy's cancer treatment.

"They gave him a platelet transfusion and I had never heard of that before," said Anderson.

"There are so many parts of the blood that are useful in different circumstances so we were really grateful they had the little sack of platelets ready to go to help him out."

Micahdescribes the fact that a blood donation was able to help as "amazing" and wanted to take part in today's opening to serve as an example of how a blood donation help someone in need.