Stories

How blood donors helped Tina Arena to keep singing

Beneath all her accolades, Tina has faced adversities that have shaped that voice as much as they’ve tested it

27 February 2026

How blood donors made Ngaiire’s life possible

Cancer wasn’t the only thing that shaped Ngaiire’s childhood. Music arrived in her life when she was 12. At a time when everything felt so hard music became a safe place to make sense of the turmoil around her.

27 February 2026

How platelet donors made Maxwell’s music possible

Long before music became his home, Max’s life was shaped by uncertainty. At just seven months old, he was diagnosed with Wiskott–Aldrich Syndrome.

27 February 2026

How blood donors made Lara’s life possible again

For Lara, music and storytelling have always been a place where she shines, even as life has thrown its share of challenges her way.

27 February 2026

How plasma donors made Jonathan’s life possible

Jonothan's dream is to master as many instruments as he can and build a career. No small feat, but when your entire existence is a miracle, learning to play a few instruments doesn’t feel like much of a challenge.

27 February 2026

How a stem cell donor made Adam’s life possible

For Adam, a cellist and music teacher from Victoria, life has always been shaped by sound. Music is where he finds meaning, whether performing for film and television, teaching students, or taking the stage.

27 February 2026

young male plasma donor holding up a sign that says i donated plasma in the donor chair

Take the edge off: Alick’s Journey from needle-nervous to regular plasma donor

Alick's first donation was a bit of a rocky one, but he now has 18+ plasma donations up his sleeve since turning 18.

29 January 2026

happy child with red hair pulling a funny face

Children like Joey need plasma to survive - but Australia needs more

The mother of a little boy whose life depends on plasma for an extremely rare bleeding disorder is urging Australians to donate, as demand for the liquid gold part of blood reaches record levels.

Image of a young male in his 30s working as a lifeguard with the ocean behind him

Jesse’s second chance

When you spend your life keeping others safe, you never imagine you’ll be the one who needs saving. But for professional lifeguard Jesse, that’s exactly what happened.

A mother and father holding a newborn baby

More than milk: how donating helped me heal

I’m Meaghan, a South Australian mum and so far I’ve donated around 124 litres of breast milk through Lifeblood.

25 June 2025

Image of a young male in his 30s donating stem cells

Aidan’s stem cells saved a life. Yours could too.

A simple questionnaire. A perfect match. A life saved. Learn how Aidan became a life-saving stem cell donor and how more young men can make a real difference.

image of a teenage boy with his parents smiling at the camera

Blood donations were crucial to Sebastian’s cancer treatment

For two years, Sebastian relied on blood donors for cancer treatment. Today, he’s a graduate from both the Royal Children’s Hospital and as a Year 12 Dux.

image of an elderly man holding a baby girl wearing a white bow band

James Harrison - The Man With the Golden Arm

Sure, there are some impressive record holders throughout history, but how many of them can claim to have saved up to 2.4 million babies?

Ten years. Six surgeries. Three lives changed.

Steven had been on the transplant wait list for almost 10 years when he received the call. A compatible kidney had been found. What followed was a complex exchange process involving six surgeries, three donor kidneys and a new ground-breaking medical treatment.

Amira goes from strength to strength as the need for rare blood continues

It’s been over a year since Amira underwent a life-saving heart operation. Today, she’s back doing what she loves, spending time with family, playing with her children and enjoying life.

Shoba was the only stem cell match in the world

It was a simple conversation that launched Lifeblood nurse, Shoba, on the path to change a stranger’s life.

Looking for a reason to give blood? This couple has a few.

To help celebrate the launch of the Life Is The Reason campaign, we caught up with married couple and milestone donors, Amanda and Michael, to find out what motivates them.

When Kiani was diagnosed with leukaemia, blood donors were ready to help.

Olivia and Lee are in the fight of their lives to save their little girl. Thanks to an incredible medical team and countless blood donors, they’re starting to feel hope again.

For Paralympian Rachael Watson, plasma donations are liquid gold

While Paralympian Rachael Watson takes on the world, at home, an army of donors are rolling up their sleeves to provide the life-changing plasma that helps make it possible.

image of a lady and her young daughter smiling at the camera

Where are they now? Anthea’s close call

Childbirth is rarely easy. But for Anthea, it was traumatic.

An anti-D tale of maternal magic

Inspired by her mum, anti-D donor Robyn unwittingly became the hero of her own family when her daughter Hannah needed the treatment during pregnancy.

two women volunteers wearing red aprons that say 'Together, we're Australia's Lifeblood'. with a red sticker that says 'what does donation mean to you? Share it here'

Volunteers smooth the way for donors: meet Caz and Mim

There’s plenty that goes on behind the scenes of every donation.

02 April 2024

What does blood donation have to do with gastroenterology?

There’s a common misconception that blood donations are only used to treat people in hospital emergency rooms, but there are many fields of medicine that rely on blood products.

28 March 2024

photo of nurse emma wearing a blue top and gloves holding a blood bag

Emma relies on blood donors to save lives

As a practice development nurse specialising in both surgery and haematology, Emma has seen the life-saving impact blood donors can have on the patients in her care.

28 March 2024

photo of nurse abbey wearing a blue uniform and gloves and holding up a blood bag

How blood donors help paediatric nurses save little lives

As a paediatric care nurse, Abbey has seen first-hand what blood donations can do for a child in need. Discover how blood donors help her save lives every day.

28 March 2024

Three transplants and a baby

Just before Christmas 2023, 31-year-old Kirsty Bryant welcomed her second baby Henry after becoming the first person in Australia to receive a uterus transplant, thanks to a team of incredibl

06 March 2024

photo of two children smiling at the camera, one is wearing a beanie

Blood donors are standing up (while sitting down) for kids living with cancer

Classmates Piper and Tom, are just two of the 750 children diagnosed with cancer every year. Discover how blood donors are helping them (and hundreds like them) stand up to cancer.

22 January 2024

Where are they now? How blood donors helped Mason overcome cancer

When people meet Mason, they see a friend, heading out for a bike ride; an older brother showing his siblings the ropes; a devoted student, with near perfect attendance.

22 January 2024

Michael Klim along with 32 donors dressed in red swimwear at Bondi

An Olympic effort

Bringing a Lifeblood ambassador to life.

24 November 2023

a family smiling at the camera with trees in the background

Jack’s bone marrow donation gave Ethan life

An urgent bone marrow transplant from a sibling donor was the best option for Ethan, so his older brother Jack stepped up and did just that.

woman in a hijab holding up the australian flag at a sports stadium

Australians respond for Amira

When Australians first heard about Amira, who needed a blood type that we didn’t have in supply, they responded in droves.

man and woman smiling at the top of a mountain

Daniel gives plasma for wife Kylie’s life

Daniel was a plasma donor for more than 15 years, but when his wife was diagnosed with an immunodeficiency, it made his contributions even more important.

illustration of a person holding a magnifying glass with a question mark on it, they are holding it over a large red blood droplet

Lifeblood and blood donors are stepping up to fight cancer

Close to 20,000 Australians will be newly diagnosed with a form of blood cancer this year.

11 August 2023

Laurie finds inspiration in his great great gran’s story

Content warning: This article may contain topics that you may find sensitive or distressing.

27 June 2023

Woman and man smiling in a donor centre holding their young daughter

Enhancing Ebony’s immunity with plasma

When you donate plasma, you give people like Ebony a shot at a healthy life through an army of life-saving germ-fighters.

young woman smiling while holding her baby son

From plasma to breast milk, giving is in Amanda’s blood

Leading by example, Amanda hopes to inspire others to give while they can.

photo of recipient ismaeel smiling at the camera

Dear Donors: from boy in a bubble to unstoppable bubbly boy

Plasma donors are Ismaeel’s secret weapon for fighting infections.

20 June 2023

Man holding up woman wearing blue overalls at the top of a building

A plasma donation prolonged John's life

This article is republished from The Senior.

photograph of a woman holding a baby, the baby is wearing a beanie and smiling

Dear Donors: The Stannards' Story

Miriam and her young family have faced more challenges in the past 10 years than most families will face in a lifetime. Collectively, they have received over 100 transfusions. Their story is one of hope, love and perseverance.