JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BETHE1DONOR TO DONATE BLOOD AND
POTENTIALLY HELP SAVE A LIFE
ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, Oct. 22,
2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Blood is an essential component for
life, but many people do not think about it until the need is
critical. Each year 234 million major operations are performed
worldwide, many involving blood transfusions or treatments
resulting in a continuous need for donations.
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That's why Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and Real Madrid football star
Cristiano Ronaldo are partnering to
bring even more attention to this important cause. Regarded as one
of the top footballers in the world, Ronaldo will serve as the
first global ambassador for the BE THE
1™ movement – developed to inspire young people
around the world to regularly donate blood.
"We can all make a difference by donating blood. Each donation
can benefit up to three people in emergency situations and for
long-term medical treatments," said Cristiano Ronaldo, forward for Real Madrid and
Captain for Portugal National Football. "That's why I am
enthusiastic to be partnering with Abbott to bring awareness to the
importance of blood donation and to encourage people around the
world to become lifelong blood donors and help save lives."
As a regular donor, Ronaldo understands the importance of blood
donation. He first gave blood after seeing his teammate's son was
sick and was in need of a donation. Since then, he has continued to
donate regularly and avoids any activities that would even
temporarily prevent him from donating.
While 108 million donations are collected each year, only a
fraction of the world's 7 billion eligible people are donating. For
those who need a transfusion, the need is even greater given that
blood has a short shelf life and can expire. An adequate, reliable
supply of blood can only be assured through a stable base of
regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors.
As a global leader in infectious diseases and diagnostics,
Abbott's testing instruments screen more than 50 percent of the
world's blood supply. As a result of careful donor selection and
testing, millions are safely given blood transfusions every year.
Through its Global Surveillance Program, Abbott works to keep the
blood supply safe by continually identifying new viruses and
diseases, as well as newly-emerging strains of HIV, Hepatitis B and
Hepatitis C, in order to incorporate detection of such viruses into
the blood screening process.
Visit www.bethe1donor.com to learn more. Connect with us using
#BeThe1Donor or on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/bethe1donor.
About Abbott
At Abbott, we're committed to helping you live your best
possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years,
we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in
nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic
pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at
all stages of life. Today, 73,000 of us are working to help people
live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we
serve.
Connect with Abbott at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at
facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and
@AbbottGlobal.
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