Melbourne man gives blood at all 85 donation centres across Australia

Melbourne police officer gives blood at all 85 donation centres in Australia In short: A Melbourne man has achieved his goal of donating blood at every blood bank in Australia. Trevor Bergman achieved the milestone by donating plasma in Canberra, ticking off all 85 donation centres in Australia. What's next? Lifeblood is urging Australians to make donating blood part of their ongoing routine. While most people who give blood might visit a handful of donation centres in their life, a Melbourne man has gone above and beyond, by donating at every blood bank in the country. Trevor Bergman recently achieved the milestone, donating plasma in Canberra, making it the 85th and final location to tick off. The 59-year-old police officer has donated blood since the age of 18, but got the idea for the challenge while on a holiday in Perth 10 years ago. "When I went past the blood bank there and donated there, I just thought 'well I'm on holiday here, what a good way to see Australia,'" he recounted. "I've been able to go all the way up the east coast, all the way over to Western Australia, up to Darwin — places that I probably never would have gotten to see." A love of community and travel Mr Bergman is one of about 150 Australians who carry the anti-D antibody. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's Aania Tandon said the antibody was provided to nearly 48,000 pregnant women each year to protect their babies from haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). "When a mother's blood type is negative and her baby is positive, then what could be happening is that a mother's immune response could actually target the baby's blood," Ms Tandon said. "They [anti-D donors] have an antibody that essentially prevents this immune response from happening." Out of the 545 donations Mr Bergman has made in total, he said the most memorable was when he was turned away for being unwell in Albany, Western Australia. "We drove all the way down to Albany and when I got there, they said you've got a sniffle, come back," he recalled. "I didn't mind, because the security of the blood supply — you've got to make sure that's as good as it can be." Another highlight was his final destination of Canberra in May, where Mr Bergman was joined by governor-general Sam Mostyn. "She actually came along to my last donation, made a donation herself and helped celebrate the fact that I'd finished." Increasing demand for blood and plasma Blood, plasma and platelet donations are used for a wide variety of purposes, including on cancer patients, people with auto-immune conditions and victims of road accidents. "One in three people in Australia will need blood at some point in their life," Ms Tandon explained. Lifeblood has seen an uptake in donations since an urgent callout was made earlier this month, after blood and plasma supplies reached their lowest point in ten years, due to a prolonged cold and flu season. But, Ms Tandon said an increasing demand for blood and plasma supplies remains. "We know that often times when we put out these callouts, when we encourage people and remind people, they always come out to donate," she said. "But we really are asking people to make the time every single day, because the need for blood never takes a break." When asked what has driven him to complete such an epic task, Mr Bergman said it's a combination of wanting to help others and see as much of Australia as possible. "It's very nice to know that in a small way, I've helped the community," he said. "At one stage, you may actually help yourself." [Image text:] nulliull OACL