'Saved my life': Teen cancer survivor inspires blood drive at Saanich school

Saanich high school student organizes blood drive A Saanich student who survived cancer enlisted his high school community to donate blood, since blood donations helped save his life.

Teamwork was on full display at Claremont Secondary School in Saanich on Monday, after students teamed up to help save lives by donating blood.

Grade 12 student Ben Pawluk knows the importance of blood donations after he was diagnosed with cancer when he was 17.

"You never really know when you're going to need blood, it just kind of happens," he said.

Pawluk helped rally his fellow classmates and teachers to donate blood on their lunch hour since the Saanich teen was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma and needed blood in the past.

"It was really scary, to be honest with you. Hard on my family," he said.

"I had five transfusions."

He's in now remission and also on a mission.

"[Blood donations] saved my life," he said.

That's why so many students at Claremont volunteered to donate 300 millilitres of blood, or roughly two juice boxes, during their lunch hour.

More than half of them were first-time donors, according to blood service volunteers.

Brooke Chambers is a student down the street at Stelly's Secondary School.

She was at the blood donation and was grateful for the support.

"I have B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is blood cancer," she said.

She's fighting, and winning.

"My last round of chemo is Aug. 19."

Then, like Pawluk, the goal is remission.

If you're unsure about donating blood, know that a transfusion gives a kid fighting cancer an energy boost, and the time to do it is now.

"If you don't like needles, you don't like needles, but really it's pretty painless and it doesn’t take too long," said Pawluk. "It's pretty easy."