Kaitlyn Paltzat
Donor
Cochrane, Alta.
"Without the help of Canadian Blood Services, my dad’s treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma would not have been possible."
Student. Fundraiser. Volunteer. Tutor. Organizer. Not to mention, a blood donor. Indeed, Kaitlyn has spent much of her young life giving her time to others.
In leading a team of peers to promote blood donation, Kaitlyn not only helped Cochrane High School earn its rank in 2018 as Canada’s top school for giving the most blood donations — it also scored second place for the most new blood donors! This feat was especially significant, as her school only had 200 students who were old enough to donate blood (you must be at least 17 years of age to be eligible to donate blood).
Now that Kaitlyn has graduated, she has also ensured her legacy lives on, with younger students prepared to continue her work.
Why is Kaitlyn inspired to support Canada’s Lifeline? “My dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma when I was five, and he battled the disease for 4.5 years,” she says. During that time, he received many donations of blood and plasma, and stem cell transplants from generous donors.
