SM Foundation's blood donation drive generates 4,000 bags

Following the necessary safety protocols, SMFI conducts its regular blood donation drive in SM malls nationwide to help address the depleting supply of blood needed by those with medical emergencies.

For this leg, SMFI was able to conduct its bloodletting activities in the National Capital Region, Baguio, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Cagayan Valley, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Batangas, Bicol, Cebu, Leyte, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Cagayan de Oro.

SM blood bank, which was established in 2011, has helped many Filipinos that are in need of blood and blood products. One of them is Sherynel Narboneta, a senior manager at SM City San Lazaro, who requested for six units of platelet concentrate or 1-unit plateletpheresis per transfusion for her father-in-law, Rolando Narboneta.

Narboneta’s father was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome which advanced into leukemia. She said requesting for blood from the SM blood bank was smooth and very convenient.

As a way of giving back, she expressed her willingness to donate blood, as “having readily available blood for medical emergencies would definitely save lives.”

Aside from its bloodletting activities, SM Foundation also goes to grassroots communities to deliver its health and medical programs. To date, it has renovated more than 170 health and wellness centers and served more than 1 million patients during its medical missions.

From these bags of blood, around 12,000 lives may be saved and extended — since one bag can help save up to three lives as it can be separated into three components: platelet concentrate, packed red blood cell and fresh frozen plasma.

This social good effort is in partnership with the Department of Health-Philippine Blood Center (DoH-PBC) and Philippine Red Cross (PRC). This is in support of the Republic Act 7719, or the “National Blood Services Act of 1994”.