THANK YOU, BLOOD DONORS!

I would like to record my utmost gratitude and most personal heartfelt thanks to the anonymous blood donors who helped my mom, who needed two transfusions yesterday. You are unsung heroes. For legal and medical ethical reasons, blood donors need to remain anonymous.

I’ve donated blood 56 times and have never received a blood transfusion myself. This is the closest I’ve been to knowing and feeling what its like to be on the receiving end.

I’ve only met one patient who indirectly benefited from one of my blood donations. She was a 12-year-old thalassemia patient who looked six. I had donated blood at Banting District Hospital and she came up to me to thank me. She said my blood type was not compatible with hers but because I made the donation, Banting District Hospital was able to exchange my blood for a compatible unit with Klang General Hospital. She must have been hanging around the blood bank for hours waiting for someone to make a donation and giver her a lifeline. I was touched. Sadly, I learnt a few months later, that she had passed on but I was glad to do whatever little I can to make her last days on this planet possible.

I would urge you to register as a blood donor, if you haven’t already done so. They are many benefits to being a blood donor, they are listed at the back of your donor card. Unfortunately, I lost mine after 38 years, a few weeks ago. I started donating blood long before it was a common thing to do, long before the National Blood Centre was set up, long before records were computerised. I’ve donated at GH KL, Pusat Darah Negara, Banting District Hospital, at Miri District Hospital, at Queen Elizabeth General Hospital, University Hospital and at University College Hospital in London.

You can donate whole blood, plasma or platelets. You can donate again only after three months of donating whole blood but as little as two weeks after donating plasma or platelets. Donating plasma or platelets take a lot longer than donating whole blood, though.

No, there’s no pain involved and it feels just like a prick. But blood donation is not for everyone. If you are below 1.52 m tall, weigh less than 45 kg, are anaemic, have hypotension, HIV, VD, hepatitis or any other of a myriad of contraindications, you are not eligible. You’ll have to contribute to humanity in some other way, hopefully through sweat, not tears. 

Copyright 2003-2018 Azlan Adnan. This blog post is sponsored by The Green Party of Malaysia