Blood donation in Wermelskirchen
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Around 70 donors give their blood in the car dealership
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Blood donation at Autohaus Hildebrandt: Wolfgang Oberdorf goes to donate blood for the 98th time. On the right is team leader Christoph Plebanek.
Photo: Juergen Moll
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Wermelskirchen To bridge the summer time, the German Red Cross offered an appointment with Hildebrandt. The willingness of the people of Wermelskirchen to donate is still great.
Ursula Koch already knows the procedure. She has made an appointment for the blood donation appointment at the Hildebrandt car dealership and is just getting her information sheet at reception. “Ever since I needed blood myself many years ago, I’ve been donating regularly,” she says, looking for a place at the high table to enter the important information for the blood donation service.
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Ursula Koch then has to wait a moment until it is her turn to see the doctor. “I’m still a little antsy,” she says, “even after all these years.” She always hopes that all the values are in order and that the blood donation runs smoothly. The short conversation with the doctor was quickly completed.
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“Now she has to make a brief stop at the confidential self-exclusion,” explains Tobias Koebke from the German Red Cross in Wermelskirchen. So that nobody feels pressured, every donor has to decide at this point in a private moment whether they really want to donate their blood. There are two codes to choose from for the papers – one for blood that is to be donated, the other for people who don’t want to.
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Ursula Koch has now received her material and has arrived on the bed of the blood donation service. A prick and a short wait – and the experienced employees have already drawn half a liter of blood. After that, donors should sit down on the lounger for ten minutes before they are presented with a packed lunch by the Wermelskirchen volunteers. In the community center and in the multi-purpose hall in Dabringhausen, the association is already working again with a buffet, says Koebke. But for the much smaller appointment at the car dealership, the bag tried and tested from Corona times is still in use – with apple and pretzel, nuts, water, chocolate bars and a small gift.
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“I think the solution here at the dealership is really good,” says Ursula Koch. There is ample parking and the appointment is well organized. The blood donation at the Hildebrandts is well received anyway: “Today’s appointment is almost fully booked,” says Bernd Köbke, who has taken on the task of blood donation guide at the entrance and greets all donors in a friendly manner. 72 donors had made an appointment in advance. That is about the number that is also possible at this location within four hours.
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“We are very happy that we can offer donation appointments here in the summer and after Christmas,” says Tobias Koebke, recalling the pandemic times when other halls were closed and the blood donation vehicle was not released due to the limited space. “Back then we were desperately looking for a replacement, and that’s exactly when Bernd Hildebrandt approached us,” says Tobias Koebke. They want to continue the offer for the time being – even if there were surprising heating problems with the donation last December.
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“It is important that we continue to receive blood donations during the holiday season,” says Koebke. Blood reserves are important, especially now, when many operations that had been postponed due to the pandemic are being rescheduled. That is why we are happy about the great willingness of the people in Wermelskirchen to donate their blood.
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