A holiday stop at one blood bank became a 545 donation mission across Australia
A Melbourne police officer with ultra rare anti-D blood has now donated at all 85 Australian donation centres.
What started as a simple stop while travelling ended with one man visiting every blood donation centre in Australia. Trevor Bergman, a 59-year-old police officer from Melbourne, has now completed 545 donations while giving blood at all 85 locations.
He finished a nationwide challenge few people could attempt
Bergman has now donated at every Australian donation centre, a total of 85 sites across the country. Across that journey, he gave blood 545 times, contributing to patients around Australia.
His blood is unusually important
Bergman is one of 150 Australians known to carry the anti-D antibody in their blood. That antibody is used for pregnant mothers whose newborns are at risk of hemolytic disease of the newborn, a condition that can happen when the mother’s immune system attacks the developing infant’s blood if the two are not compatible.
The whole idea began on holiday
The challenge started when Bergman was in Perth, Western Australia, on vacation. After passing a blood bank there and donating, he said he realised it could be a good way to see Australia while doing something useful.
It took him to places he might never have visited otherwise
Bergman said the mission carried him all the way up the east coast, over to Western Australia and up to Darwin. He said those were places he probably would not otherwise have seen.
Not every stop went smoothly. He said his most memorable visit came in Albany, where he arrived ready to donate but was turned away because he had "a sniffle."
The final donation also carried a bigger message
His last donation took place in Canberra at an Australian Red Cross Lifeblood centre. Sam Mostyn, the nation’s representative to the crown, joined him there and donated at the same time.
Bergman said it was nice to know he had played a small part in helping the national community. Lifeblood says 1 in 3 Australians will need donated blood at some point in their life, a reminder that the need for donors does not go away.
