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5th July 2017
A policeman shot trying to save a doctor’s life says he would have died if it were not for volunteer blood donors.
Blue Mountains-based Sergeant Luke Warburton needed to have 14 litres of blood transfusions after a struggle with an ice-affected patient at Nepean Hospital last January.
The decorated officer, from the NSW Police Dog Squad, shared his story at Blacktown City Council’s Red25 Blood Challenge launch at the Civic Centre on Tuesday.
Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Stephen Bali said his story should inspire others to donate.
“Each time you donate you can help save someone like Luke Warburton,” he said.
“In fact, every time you donate you save up to three lives.
“So let’s dig deep, let’s save a life; it’s an easy way of doing it.”
Mr Warburton told a gathering of about 50 Council workers about the day a patient took a doctor hostage and held a knife to her throat.
“I was the first car out there and as a result of that incident I got shot through my lower abdomen and it pierced my femoral vein,” he said.
“I hit the deck and there was a vast amount of blood that was pouring out of me.”
Police allege Mr Warburton and his partner, Senior Constable Tim Duffy, tried to subdue the man with capsicum spray, but he grabbed Mr Warburton’s gun.
The man fired two shots, with one of the bullets striking Mr Warburton’s leg and the other wounding a security guard.
Mr Warburton said things went “a little pear-shaped from there”, as he was rushed into surgery at the hospital where he was in an induced coma for three days.
“When I woke up out of that doctors told me they needed to give me 14 litres of blood in those three days,” he said.
“The human body has somewhere between 5-7 litres of blood at any one time, so to be given 14 litres is a fair amount of blood.
“I was a blood donor prior to this incident and never thought I’d need it, I don’t think most people would, but I can assure you when the time comes, it comes in handy.
“It’s people like you who roll up your sleeves and give an hour of your time to donate blood that makes all the difference.”
The Red25 Council Blood Challenge is run by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and encourages staff at local councils to donate blood between July and September.
NSW council blood donations throughout this period are tallied against each other with the most blood donations from the one council winning the challenge.
Last year, donations from Blacktown City Council employees helped save 108 lives.
This year, Mayor Bali has set a goal of 100 donations, which could save 300 lives.
Australian Red Cross Community Relations Officer Ronny Maroun said he hoped Council’s commitment to the challenge would inspire more businesses in Blacktown City to get involved.
“For all those who’ve thought about giving blood, now is the perfect opportunity to help support your local community and people like Luke Warburton who have needed blood donations,” he said.
The Red Cross Blood Service van will be at the Blacktown Kmart car park from 20-21 July.
Red25 is a social responsibility program by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service that aims to unite workplaces, community groups, schools and universities around Australia to save lives through blood donation.
Blacktown City Mayor Stephen Bali, Sargeant Luke Warburton and Australian Red Cross Community Relations Officer Ronny Maroun.
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