New cards from Moonpig and NHSBT encourage dads & sons to sign up to give blood
LONDON, March 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --
- Moonpig has partnered with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to create a bespoke range of Mother's Day cards that encourages dads and sons to give a gift that matters by donating blood
- The exclusive range includes 10 humorous and heartfelt designs, two of them designed by children whose mums' lives were saved by blood transfusions
- Around 4,000 women a year suffer severe bleeds following childbirth and around 50,000 units of blood are used for transfusions during delivery
- 62% of dads are unaware that blood loss at childbirth is one of the leading uses of blood donation and therefore were unaware of the risks
- To keep the banks full, the NHSBT needs to recruit around 400 new donors and maintain 5,000 donations every day
- 10% of card sales will be donated to Mind
Forget the usual flowers and brekkie in bed, Moonpig has launched a limited-edition range of cards in partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant to encourage fathers and sons to donate blood in honour of their mothers and partners this Mother's Day. The drive for new donors is vital as around 4,000 women a year suffer severe bleeds at childbirth, with the majority needing blood transfusions.
Research by Moonpig found 62% of dads were unaware that childbirth is one of the leading uses of blood donation, therefore were unaware of the risks associated with giving birth. More than one in four dads (27%) say they feel indebted to their partner after seeing all they go through during childbirth and a further 39% think it's important to thank their partner for everything they do as a mum. Therefore, these cards have been designed to give grateful dads a way to recognise their partner's achievements this Mother's Day.
The light-hearted range of cards include some to be given from the father, such as: 'To celebrate you on Mother's Day, I've decided I'm going to lie down with a nice cuppa...', and others to be gifted by the child, including 'Mummy you're bloody brilliant (sorry for swearing)'.
Two of the cards have been designed by children of mums who have required a blood transfusion. Kirsty Armstrong suffered a large bleed during the birth of her third child – her own life was subsequently saved by 20 units of blood. In light of this, her 12-year-old daughter has designed a card showing a blood bag entitled 'We love you'.
Meanwhile Laura Scott experienced a severe bleed whilst giving birth to her son Henry at 30 weeks, she then had blood transfusions totalling 22 units. Henry drew a heart alongside the words 'Mummy, I give you my heart. Daddy gives blood. Because we love you!'.
Tara Burke is also taking part in the initiative; she suffered from severe pre-eclampsia whilst giving birth – her son Ethan was born prematurely and so they both benefited from life-saving blood transfusions. 10% of card sales will be donated to charity Mind as chosen by Tara, Kirsty and Laura. Mind specialises in post birth trauma counselling, as well as providing advice and support to combat pre and post natal depression.
The blood donation Mother's Day range is exclusively available now through Moonpig here.
Around one in five women suffer a bleed during childbirth, with about one per cent suffering the most severe form of post birth bleed. Around six per cent of donated blood is given to mothers during childbirth – around 50,000 units a year. However, it's particularly important that men donate as women are unable to for at least six months after birth and men's blood is used almost exclusively in complete blood transfusions on babies and for transfusions in the womb.
Last year, only 41% of new donors were men, so it's vitally important that more men try donating for the first time. The NHS needs 400 new donors every day to keep a strong donor base and maintain 5,000 donations every day.
Kirsty said: "I am incredibly grateful to all blood donors for their generosity, as without them I wouldn't be here. My experience has encouraged my family and friends to donate and I am passionate about spreading the word to others. Being part of this initiative will hopefully go some way towards getting more people donating."
Laura said: "I'm so lucky to be alive. Donating blood may not seem much, only being an hour of your time and enjoying a cuppa and a biscuit afterwards, but it honestly couldn't be a bigger deal. You save lives. Since my transfusion, my partner is now a regular blood donor and so I hope my story can encourage others to be one too."
Dale Boreham, Design & Publishing Manager at Moonpig said: "We know that childbirth is one of the leading uses of blood donation so we wanted to help NHSBT highlight the life-changing difference dads can make to their family and others by giving blood. The ten cards in this exclusive range have a light-hearted twist on a serious topic and were designed to appeal to regular donors as well as the wider public wishing to celebrate the amazing Mums they know."
Tom Aggett, Lead for Male Blood Donor Recruitment at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Registering as a new donor may not seem like a traditional Mother's Day gift but it really is something meaningful you can do to celebrate mums and save lives. Giving blood is amazing and so we hope the cards will encourage more fathers to save lives by signing up to donate."
For more information and to buy a Mother's Day card, visit: http://bit.ly/give_blood_cards
Share this article