Por Pablo Arranz 
The head of service of the CTCV, Mabel Ortiz de Salazar, emphasizes that «participation in this marathon is essential for it to be a success and together we can demonstrate that Alicante is a united and supportive city.»
Alicante, March 12, 2025. The Alicante City Council and the Transfusion Center of the Valencian Community (CTCV) call on the people of Alicante to participate next Monday, March 17, in the blood donation marathon with the slogan ‘Alicante donates life’ that will take place at Espacio Séneca, from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., where you can donate blood and also plasma, one of the most deficient and necessary blood components.
The Councilor for Health, Cristina García, encourages the people of Alicante to «come on Monday to donate blood, as this altruistic gesture takes only a few minutes, is painless and, most importantly, saves lives.» The councilor has considered that «with the wide schedule established for donations, there are no excuses, we can all find a time to come to Espacio Séneca on Monday, and if not, we can always help spread the word among our acquaintances so they can come.» In this sense, García is convinced that «once again, the people of Alicante will demonstrate that we are supportive and achieve the highest number of donations possible.»
On the other hand, Dr. Mabel Ortiz de Salazar, head of service of the CTCV in Alicante, states that «the participation of each person from Alicante in this marathon is essential for it to be a success,» and together we can demonstrate that Alicante is a united and supportive city, willing to help those who need it most.» She adds that «thinking about the lives we can save helps us understand the importance of blood donation, which means hope for many patients and families.»
Blood and plasma donation
For the second consecutive year, this solidarity marathon will include a machine for the extraction and donation of plasma, one of the most deficient and necessary blood components.
The objective of this eighth edition of the ‘Alicante donates life’ marathon is to obtain the highest possible number of blood donations to meet the daily demand of the hospitals in Alicante and the rest of the province, which is 250. In the seven previous editions of this solidarity event, a total of 2,252 donations were collected, and in the last one, held in March 2024, 302 blood donations and 16 plasma donations were collected. With this new marathon, it is hoped to exceed this figure to contribute to the maximum to maintain the blood and plasma reserves of the province. Additionally, they hope that this marathon will mobilize new donors, especially among the young population of Alicante, who will come to donate regularly throughout the year, as blood is needed every day to meet the demand.
Anyone who is healthy, of legal age, and weighs more than 50 kilos can donate blood. Men can donate up to four times a year and women three times, with a minimum of two months between donations.