How to become a hero, a superhero even, without a cape, without artifice? How can you save not one, but three lives in just ten minutes? The answer is simple, accessible to almost everyone and can be summed up in three words: donate blood. A simple gesture with vital consequences for thousands of people in the region. However, donors are becoming a little too rare in relation to needs and to be self-sufficient at the regional level. “We are short of donors. We have to reach out to young people”underlined Françoise Jeanne-Queré, president of the Departmental Union 83 which brings together all the associations of voluntary blood donors in the Var.
So to inform and raise awareness among young people, the Association of volunteer blood donors from Brignoles and surrounding areas (La Celle and Camps-la-Source) organized a conference last Thursday at the Brignoles exhibition hall. In front of four classes, from 3e in the final year, from Brignolais establishments – Paul-Cézanne and Jean-Moulin college, Raynouard and Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc high schools – Alexandre Talamoni, head of the communications department at the French Blood Establishment Paca, explained how and why to become a hero, with supporting figures and diagram. Of course the teenagers in front of him can’t give yet but they can “spread the message to their loved ones, be ambassadors”, and who one day knows how to become superheroes themselves.
Six good reasons to give
The exercise was not easy in front of around a hundred students. But Alexandre Talamoni had an hour to recall the importance of donating in six good reasons. First, the needs are substantial. “We need 10,000 blood bags every day in France and there is no substitute product. »
Then the donation only takes a few minutes. You will still have to answer a questionnaire upon arrival and take the time for a short break before leaving. “Allow an hour in total. The welcome is friendly, that’s one of our missions”recalled Corinne Jean, deputy treasurer of the Brignolais association. The donation is voluntary and voluntary. “In France, we are lucky to have an ethical model. It is not an obligation and it is not paid. »
Above all, one donation can save three lives. Because once collected, the blood bag goes to the preparation stage. Three blood products are extracted: red blood cells, plasma and platelets. “Every hour, 114 products are transfusednotes Alexandre Talamoni. One million people are treated each year through blood donation. »
For each product, its patient
Donations are primarily used in oncology. “Heavy treatments destroy cancer cells but also certain healthy cells, so patients often need a transfusion. A large part is then intended for patients who are going to have surgery and finally for women who are giving birth. In the event of delivery hemorrhage, we need 10 to 30 bags of blood in a very short period of time to save the motherexplains Alexandre Talamoni. Road accident victims represent 1% of needs. » If the figures are convincing, having someone in front of you who has had his life saved is something else, especially if the students know him a little.
Bone marrow donation too
« There you go, I have a special story. » It is with these words that the deputy principal of the Paul-Cézanne college began his story. “10 years ago I had a bone marrow transplanthe continues. It was the only way to cure a genetic problem, a mutation to be precise. I needed four bags of blood per week. It lasted six months before the diagnosis was made. »
The transplant was successful but genetics means transmission. The two daughters of the deputy principal had to go through the heavy protocol… with success. But, “my youngest daughter rejected her first transplant. Luckily, we managed to find another compatible donor.” A “crazy story” as he says, incredible, when we know that“a bone marrow donor has a one in a million chance of being called to save a life”.
If another reason were needed, this family embodies it alone, in three ways. So, young people ready to become future superheroes? Many hands were raised in the assembly. It remains to transform awareness into action. This is another challenge for associations.
date: 2026-02-09 16:50:00