Dalhousie women’s hockey raises awareness for blood donations

Dalhousie University’s women’s hockey team showed their support for the blood donation organization Hockey Gives Blood at their home game against the Saint Mary’s University Huskies on Jan. 28.

Before the game at the Halifax Forum, three Dalhousie Blood Society members joined Hockey Gives Blood ambassadors, Tigers captain Natasha Falk and Huskies forward Avery Cant, at centre ice for a ceremonial puck drop.

Hockey Gives Blood is a non-profit organization that partners with Canadian Blood Services to educate and mobilize the hockey community on the importance of blood, plasma, stem cell and organ and tissue donations. Two former junior hockey players founded the organization in 2018 after 16 junior hockey players and team staff members from the Humboldt Broncos died in a bus collision.

Falk, a fourth-year kinesiology student and forward for the Tigers, has been an ambassador with Hockey Gives Blood for two years. 

“I have a platform, and I can be a role model in the community,” she said. “I appreciate that we can use sport to support things that are bigger than hockey.”

Falk said several professional athletes have been involved, including Micah Zandee-Hart, a current member of the New York Sirens, a PWHL team.

Hannah Robertson and Abby Larkin, Falk’s teammates, also serve as ambassadors.

Falk said a close childhood friend, who had an autoimmune disease that required monthly blood transfusions, inspired her to become involved with the organization.

 “I just thought it’s the least I can do,” she said. 

Falk also said donating blood takes only five minutes and can go a long way to help people. 

Blood beyond hockey

Noah Stevens, a fourth-year medical sciences student, is the president of the Dalhousie Stem Cell Club, which partnered with the Dalhousie Blood Society to organize the women’s hockey event. 

The Dalhousie Blood Society is a student-run organization that advocates for Canadian Blood Services, encouraging students to sign up and give blood for those in need of transfusions.

Stevens said the support from both teams and Canadian Blood Services helped make the event possible.

“It was great to represent such a good cause,” he said.