The demand for blood platelets, used mainly for cancer treatment, has risen by more than a third in the past five years. Sarah Carabott follows this vital blood product's journey from dedicated donors – who even cut down on their alcohol use – to the grateful receivers. When her son was diagnosed with cancer, Caroline Spiteri dreaded the day she would be told a matching platelet donor could not be found, as she knew this would delay his recovery. One year on, Yann is in remission, in part thanks to several donors, some of who were called on the same day that the 12-year-old needed treatment. And following the ordeal, Ms Spiteri has herself become a donor, as she now understands that blood donation is a vital part of treatment. Yann was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and he needed to undergo four cycles of chemotherapy between April and August. Throughout these four months he needed several blood transfusions – platelets were an essential part of his treatment, his mother explained. His platelet count dropped drastically following chemotherapy and he could only continue his treatment once the count was increased through transfusions, she added. "One day his count was...
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