Donating blood saves lives and is easy to do. Usually, patients who need blood are given their own blood type, which means all types of blood are needed desperately at blood banks. However, O-negative blood is very much in demand because it’s the only blood type that can be given to everyone. In emergency situations when there’s no time to check a person’s blood type, O-negative blood saves lives. In the Netherlands only 7% of the population have this blood type (just one in every 13 people), but relatives of O-negative types have a 30% higher chance of also being O-negative. All blood donations in the Netherlands are from unpaid volunteers. It has been proven around the world that unpaid voluntary donors are the key to a safe blood supply because they are least likely to transmit potentially life-threatening infections such as HIV and hepatitis viruses. If you are between the ages of 18 and 65 you can be a donor: telephone Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation on 512 30 30 for a registration card or download the donor registration form from www.sanquin.nl.