By Kate Fisher
On 20 September 2024, I had the honour of giving the keynote address at the Australia’s Inaugural Women Economic Forum (WEF) which was hosted in Melbourne. The WEF aims to foster conversations, community, connections and collaborations among women worldwide. The enabling ecosystem of exchange and sisterhood ignites and inspires greater enterprise and leadership, propelling women’s economic empowerment and influence in ALL walks of life.
My keynote waxs titled “Advocacy and Activism: Women Making a Difference” and explored the power of intention in advocacy messaging and described how through the Milkshakes for Marleigh blood donation advocacy movement has developed a creative solution to the social challenge of not enough people donating blood in Australia to match the demand. I shared with the audience that while 1 in 3 Australians will need blood in their lifetime, on 1 in 30 people donate it.
The discussion followed centred around the idea that advocates can generate the most brilliant content in the world but that it is useless if it does not reach its intended audience. This is why the power of intention and the storytellers connection with their audience is so important to ensure maximum impact in advocacy and activism.
Finally, I shared that despite the fact that I am a global leading voice on blood donation advocacy, the one question I ever ask people is:
“ Are you a blood donor?”
Instead, I made the following suggestion:
“I invite you to look to the person sitting to your left and to your right today and realise that you, or one of those people will be dependent on blood products to survive at some stage in your lifetime. And when you are on you plane, train or however you travel home, look at the strangers sitting eother side of and reflect on the same thing.
When you arrive home and you are sharing a meal with your family, friends or loved ones, acknowledge that one in three of you will be dependent on blood donors to preserve your life. If you think that your life, or one of those other lives are worth saving, I encourage you to consider becoming a blood donor.
We would also love it if those who donate blood in Australia add their blood donation to The Milkshakes for Marleigh Lifeblood Team tally.”
After I speak, it never ceases to amaze me how many people come to share the stories of when they or their loved ones have needed blood products:
“My sister is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and has needed platelets”
“I needed so many bags of blood after I gave birth and had a post-partum haemorrhage”
“Thank you for the work you do, Im grabbing a copy of your book for my Dad who is undergoing treatment for Multiple Myeloma”
“ I was a premature baby, I wonder if I needed blood products?”
I love the thought of the pink zebra on the The Milkshakes for Marleigh book cover being in the suitcases of so many WEF speakers and delegates. I look forward to hearing how the extraordinary tales of survival thanks to Australian blood donors, within its pages, inpire new blood donations all over the globe.
To make a blood donation in Australia please head to Lifeblood and when you arrive at the donor centre please ask for your donation to be added to the Milkshakes for Marleigh Lifeblood Team.
To buy the Milkshakes for Marleigh Book head to your local bookstore or purchase here.