World Blood Donor Day 2025 Focuses on Hope
On June 14, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated on the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO). This year, the day is dedicated to hope. It’s a day to say thank you, but also to spotlight the ongoing, urgent need for safe, regular blood donations.
Every drop of donated blood brings hope to patients and their loved ones — and can save lives.
According to the North Estonia Medical Centre Blood Centre, blood transfusions are administered to nearly 20,000 patients in Estonian hospitals each year.
Donated blood is most often needed by cancer patients, women in childbirth, infants, and those undergoing major surgeries, as well as individuals suffering from anemia, bleeding, severe trauma, and various other conditions.
The aim of Blood Donor Day is to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation and to honor voluntary blood donors.
Every donation is a lifeline. One unit of safe blood can save up to three lives. It takes just an hour to donate, but the impact can last a lifetime and hope flows through every donation.
June 14 marks the birthday of Austrian-American physician and immunologist Karl Landsteiner (1868–1943), who discovered the ABO blood group system in 1901, making blood transfusions significantly safer than before.
Sources and further information:
Donor donating blood in a special bus, THM F 3081, Estonian Health Museum, http://www.muis.ee/et/museaalview/2381198.