You may see the letter A, O and B disappear this week as brands and businesses join Red Cross on its global blood donation campaign.
The Missing Type is an initiative to raise awareness about the dire need for blood donations.
If you have blood types A, O or B, your donation can make a difference to anyone from trauma and burns victims through to patients with cancer.
To help drive awareness about this, National Australia Bank has switched off the A and B lights in its name on its buildings across the country.
It is also running an internal awareness campaign to educate and inspire its own staff about the power of being a blood donor.
“The Australian Red Cross Blood Service needs 100,000 new blood donors in the next year to help save or improve the lives of patients in need and right now there aren’t enough people in Australia signing up to donate their blood type,” NAB general manager of corporate responsibility Jodi Geddes told SmartCompany.
“We’re proud to support our customer the Australian Red Cross and Red Cross Blood Service and to play a small but important part in this international movement.
“By joining others in raising awareness and rallying behind the campaign we can help get the attention of Australians and hopefully turn some of them into blood donors.”
Along with NAB, a number of businesses, brands and personalities have joined the bandwagon including food icon Maggie Beer, the Sydney Opera House and Adelaide Oval.
Do you have the #MissingType? Help us fill the gaps and save lives https://t.co/scnqOdpa7g @redcrossbloodau pic.twitter.com/TfPOVvjotl
— _del_ide _v_l (@TheAdelaideOval) August 16, 2016
A photo posted by Sydney Opera House (@sydneyoperahouse) on
Even TV show Neighbours has dropped the initials for its blood types off its iconic Ramsay Street sign.
Do you have the #missingtype? Help fill the gaps and save lives, book to donate blood at https://t.co/wU6CIu2aLb pic.twitter.com/BUK0YfQtbl
— Neigh__urs (@neighbours) August 16, 2016
According to Red Cross Australia, a blood donation is needed every 24 seconds around the country but the number of donors has significantly dropped over the past decade.
As the need for plasma-based medicines increases, Red Cross Australia says 100,000 new donors will need to volunteer this financial year.
One blood donation can be made into 22 different medical treatments and Blood Service chief executive Shelly Park says the impact can not only save but transform lives.
Park says many people around the world are really depending on donors to survive and live a better quality life.
“Whether it is patients receiving treatment for cancer, blood disorders, after accidents or during surgery, or new mums who lost blood in childbirth, blood is an absolutely essential part of modern healthcare,” she says.
“We really hope that those Australians who can will be inspired by the Missing Type campaign to become blood donors.”
Dinushi Dias is a freelance journalist and a former StartupSmart reporter and multimedia content producer. She is the co-founder of Melbourne-based production house Dinushi & Power.
