Lifeblood spotted in Summer Bay

The need for blood can sometimes be dramatic. Sometimes the stories of people who’ve needed your life saving blood donations unfold like the plotline of a TV drama series.  

So, what happens when those worlds meet? It would be understandable when crafting a storyline for TV, writers might seek maximum drama. A road trauma, perhaps. A massive haemorrhage on the operating table.  

But when the Home and Away team were creating a new arc for one of the beloved Summer Bay residents, they didn’t feast on low-hanging fruit, they developed a major medical storyline centred on a character diagnosed with aplastic anaemia – a condition that can require ongoing blood transfusions.  

The outcome is a story that raises awareness for the ongoing demand for blood donations. While aplastic anaemia is a rare blood disorder, 34% of all donated blood goes toward treating blood disorders.

As the locals rallied around the newly diagnosed Eden to arrange a blood drive in aid of her need for ongoing blood transfusions, Lifeblood embraced the writers’ creative licence and a little TV magic, rolling a mobile Donor Centre into Summer Bay, and raising awareness for blood donation along the way.

Real Lifeblood hero Josh was on set to ensure things looked as realistic as possible as our ‘pop up’ donor centre established itself inside the surf club. We asked Josh how different it was setting up in Summer Bay, compared to Bondi Beach.  

“It was super interesting to see how our donor centre environment was interpreted and translated to a studio setting,” said Josh.

“The Channel 7 team did an incredible job of making it feel authentic and like a genuine Lifeblood site, which made us feel right at home!

“It was fascinating to meet the actors in between shots and watch them switch from character to themselves, they're super talented and all fantastic actors.”

Blood donors know that one of the great delights of donating is the snacks you get afterwards, so we had to know; was the Summer Bay spread better than the average donor centre refreshment offering?

“We would LOVE to have a smoothie bar in our pop-up and mobile locations, but since we don't, I'd say the Summer Bay pop-up donor centre had a slightly better refreshment offering than we realistically can offer at non-fixed sites,” said Josh. Lucky for the Summer Bay donors!

Snacks aside, Josh said his time with the Home and Away crew was richly rewarding.  

“The team were so welcoming of everyone from Lifeblood who was there, and recognised that we know what that environment and process should look like, so we were asked clarifying questions throughout the day which showed how important it was to the production team for this to be realistic and match the experience our generous donors have every day across the country.”

Although we can’t bring a Lifeblood donor centre directly (or as quickly!) to you as we did in Summer Bay, there are plenty of ways for you to easily rally around someone you know, or someone you don’t know by donating blood.  

You can start or join a Lifeblood Team or consider Stem cell donation.