Canadian Blood Services opens doors to new and improved facility

By Brett Lubkiwski

The act of giving blood has never looked so comfortable.

Canadian Blood Services opened the doors to its new location Thursday on south Albert Street in what used to be Brewsters.

A building that once served beer and nachos will now provide its guests with juice and cookies in the new open, bright, welcoming space.

Tracy Smith, director of donor relations for Canadian Blood Services, says the organization wanted the new building to create a sense of community.

“It feels very welcoming and warm, like you’re (donating) in a homey, comfortable space,” Smith said in reference to the open layout. “Even the island in the middle, it feels like you’re standing around someone’s kitchen afterwards talking over snacks.”

The hope is that the open concept will attract more people to come in and donate in groups in what is a very social and comfortable space.

There’s a need for more blood donations in Saskatchewan and the hope is the new location will be able to speed up the process, allow more people to donate at one time, and give more back to people who need it.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Blood Services lost tens of thousands of regular donors who stopped coming back. Extreme cold and poor weather throughout the country has led to many appointments going unfilled.

The organization relies a lot on teenagers to become new and frequent donors. People like Curtis Pearce who have been giving blood for years said the act of doing something for those in need is an incredible feeling.

“I’ve been donating since I was in high school and I really enjoy volunteering in general and I really look at this like a lifetime role,” said Pearce. “It’s kind of a double-whammy: You’re saving lives and volunteering, and it’s all positive.”

It’s not an exaggeration to say giving blood can save lives. People like five-year-old Nash Balysky-Crawford, who was born with a heart defect, has relied on the generosity of others for most of his young life.

Nash’s mother, Ashley Balysky, spoke at the grand opening to tell their story and how Nash has benefitted from donors.

“He has spent about 12 months in hospital in his whole life so far, he’s had five open heart surgeries and at 13 months old, he did have a heart transplant,” Balysky said, describing the hardships Nash has gone through in his life.

Balysky, much like Pearce, has been donating since she was a teenager and already knew how beneficial blood donations can be. But seeing personally how it can help was an emotional experience.

“When you see your child really sick and they bring these bags of blood into the room and then after it’s done, your child pinks up a little bit because they actually have blood in them, it really hits home and it just shows how important blood donation is,” she said.