Blood drive being organised by Marsha De Salvatore

Marsha De Salvatore, known to many expats as the co-founder of Rome's Comedy Club, is organising a blood drive at S. Eugenio hospital in EUR on 16 November, as part of efforts to increase the capital's blood supply.

De Salvatore told Wanted in Rome "There are constant blood shortages in Rome which is bad for everyone because so many people need blood, like pregnant women, car accident victims, surgeries and countless illnesses that require blood transfusions."

De Salvatore has an illness which requires blood transfusions every two-three weeks, a subject which formed the basis of her recent show at the English Theatre of Rome.

She will be at the S. Eugenio hospital on 16 November, from 08.30-11.30, and will reward donors with fresh cornetti. She reminds potential donors that "if they have a job with a contract they get a certificate to not work for the day!"

She also emphasises that people who lived in the UK for more than six months from 1980-1996 are not allowed to give blood in Italy, due to the prevalence of Mad Cow disease during that time.

Rome residents who wish to donate blood can do so at any hospital's centro trasfusionale from 07.30-11.30 each morning. Donors can be aged from 18 to 65 and blood can only be given on an empty stomach.

For more details of Marsha's blood drive see the Facebook page while to learn more about who can give blood see the AVIS website.