On the occasion of National Voluntary Blood Donation Day 7.4: Passion builds bridges of life

The province's voluntary blood donation movement is spreading strongly, attracting many people to participate. Along with the hearts of blood donors, the Red Cross staff and volunteers who are doing blood donation mobilization work, although quietly and silently, play a very important role.

Do not back down in the face of difficulty

Even during the period of 2019 - 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was raging everywhere, although the whole province had a shortage of blood reserves, there was never a shortage of blood to transfuse to patients. At the Conference to honor outstanding voluntary blood donation groups and individuals in the province held at the end of 2022, the Provincial Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation praised the efforts of the mobilization team, affirming their great, silent contributions, always standing side by side with blood donors in their most difficult times.

Up to now, the mobilization of voluntary blood donation has been organized systematically and professionally by most levels of the provincial Red Cross Association. In particular, the leadership team of the district Red Cross Association proactively consulted with the government to develop a mobilization plan; closely coordinated with agencies, departments, branches, and localities to focus on directing and implementing.

Mrs. Thai Kim Dung encouraged HMTN people. Photo: An Lao District Red Cross Association

Many years ago, An Lao used to be a “lowland” for the blood donation movement in the province because the barrier was the people’s thinking that “donating blood is not good for health”. After taking on the role of President of the An Lao District Red Cross Association, Ms. Thai Kim Dung actively innovated propaganda and mobilization methods, regularly grasping people’s thoughts to effectively persuade them.

Along with organizing launching ceremonies, hanging banners and posters in easily observable locations, crowded places, and marching with mobile loudspeakers, Ms. Dung coordinated with grassroots CTĐ cadres to implement the solutions of "slow and steady wins the race" and "speaking with evidence". Accordingly, she and the district's advocacy team actively went to all villages and communes, using her own HMTN achievements and those of her family members as "proof" to convince people, especially ethnic minorities.

“Up to now, the voluntary blood donation movement has covered 9 communes and 1 town of the district. In addition to the concentrated blood donation campaigns that always exceed the set targets, the District Association has also established 3 live blood bank teams, ready to provide voluntary blood for emergency cases at the District Health Center, Bong Son Regional General Hospital and the Provincial General Hospital,” said Ms. Dung.

Fragrant hearts

At 1 a.m. on the last day of March, while preparing to fall asleep after finishing his homework, student Tran Van Hau, Head of the Blood Club of Quy Nhon University, suddenly received a call from the family of a female patient at the provincial General Hospital who had hemorrhage and low platelet count with blood type O. After waking up from the call, Hau searched through the available list, calling for an hour but still no one answered. “At that time, I felt extremely frustrated. Then suddenly I remembered Do Hoang Chinh, a Chemistry Pedagogy student with the same blood type. So I ran straight to my friend's house and knocked on the door in the middle of the night. Luckily, my friend agreed right away. I drove my friend to the hospital and stayed with her until the blood donation was completed at 5 a.m.,” Hau said.

Both students were exhausted, but seeing their family members' smiles instead of their initial worried faces, they said: Skipping a night's sleep to save a life, it's worth it!

In addition to the Red Cross staff, there are many young people, women, students and ordinary workers who volunteered to take on this task. The work is quiet, silent, time-consuming, and even "annoying" others - so what makes them devote themselves so wholeheartedly? Many patients' relatives after receiving voluntary blood donations expressed their feelings: It is definitely out of compassion, because no one forces them, they are not paid, but sometimes they have to pay out of their own pocket, because of the urgency, the expressions full of anxiety for... strangers. Because of the hours of waiting for the donor to perform the examination, testing, and blood draw. Because of having to put aside personal work, sometimes their daily income, it can only be explained by one word - "humanity".

Mr. Tran Kim Huu drove Ms. Dang Thi Ngoc Huong, who has a rare blood type, and her 14-month-old son from Hoai Chau Bac Commune (Hoai Nhon Town) to Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital on the afternoon of March 22 to donate rare blood to help a Jarai ethnic patient with gastrointestinal bleeding. Photo: Hoai Nhon Live Blood Club

Just like that, from Hoai Nhon Town, many times, the Head of the Hoai Nhon Town Blood Club, Tran Kim Huu, took his family car, used his own money to fill up the gas tank, drove around the town to pick up each volunteer HMTN, then drove to the provincial General Hospital. Most recently, while at work, he received news from the Gia Lai Hot Blood Club that there was a case needing a rare blood transfusion, so he "called" everywhere, contacted the donor, put his unfinished work aside, took his family car to pick up the donor, then drove straight to Gia Lai province, waited, then hurriedly returned immediately.

“I don’t think much about it, I just know that people need blood to save their lives, so I try to help within my ability. I can’t donate blood because our blood types are incompatible, so I can only contribute to creating conditions for donors and recipients to meet each other. That’s all,” said the honest ironworker Tran Kim Huu.

NGOC TU

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