Segment 1 On a farm a group of boys are playing cowboys and Indians. One boy jumps onto a moving truck but falls and is crushed by a wheel. He is seen injured in hospital and the narrator explains that a blood transfusion is vital to his recovery. A blood donor session is seen, with people of many different ethnicities queueing to give blood. A woman receives the pin prick test to test for anaemia and other people are seen lying on trolleys giving blood and chatting to the medical staff. In a hospital a patient receives a blood transfusion and the narrator says that blood contains many valuable components. The components are seen and he briefly explains what plasma, platelets, red cells and white cells do. A girl with leukaemia is seen and a doctor explains the importance of platelets in her treatment and how their use has benefitted many other leukaemia patients. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:04:29:15 Length: 00:04:29:15
Segment 2 The uses of the components of plasma are discussed. A young man with haemophilia explains that when growing up he had to go to hospital every time he cut himself; now he can inject himself with Factor VIII from a store in his fridge at home. A plasma donor talks about donating plasma as he is attached to a plasmapheresis machine. Another donor is also giving plasma but using a manual method. The red cells are manually separated from plasma and then returned to him. The narrator then explains the different blood groups. A female plasma donor discusses the logistics of donating; it takes a lot longer but she is happy to give as she has a rare blood type. Time start: 00:04:29:15 Time end: 00:08:59:08 Length: 00:04:29:18
Segment 3 A couple play with their baby and the narrator explains the problem of rhesus disease. Babies with rhesus disease used to die but now the mother can be injected with anti-rhesus concentrate. Blood is seen being separated in a centrifuge. The frozen plasma is seen at a plasma processing centre. A blood donation session is seen and the narrator says that more plasma and more blood donors are needed. Firemen are seen fighting a house fire and an elderly woman lies in hospital with burns. She will need around 100 bottles of plasma to help treat her wounds. Other examples of medical procedures that need blood products are seen; major surgery and the treatment of babies with congenital heart disease. The narrator thanks everyone who has donated blood and asks for more people to call the Blood Transfusion Service. Over the end credits, people are seen at a blood donation session talking about why they donated. Time start: 00:08:59:08 Time end: 00:13:19:00 Length: 00:04:19:17