“I’ve been volunteering for different NGOs since I was 16. I am also a registered organ donor. In my volunteering journey, I’ve learned about blood donation and how one unit of donated blood can save up to 3 lives in an emergency.
My first blood donation was at the age of 20. There was a blood donation camp in the college premises and I thought it was an opportunity to start with and I did. Now I’m 31 and have donated 14 times so far.
Often, people don’t get enough time to participate in welfare initiatives conducted by NGOs. However, a lot of people look forward to wanting to do something for society, and for such people, blood donation is a boon.
Anyone above the age of 18 can donate blood and can donate every 3 to 4 months regularly. They can donate at the nearest blood bank whenever they are free and when they can make time.
The reason to donate is simple – It helps to save lives. In fact, every two seconds in a day, someone would require blood, that’s what the statistics say. And since blood cannot be manufactured outside the body and has a limited shelf life, the supply must constantly be replenished by generous blood donors. Especially Thalassemia patients who require regular blood transfusions every 3 to 4 weeks as their body makes a much lower level of hemoglobin. Blood donation is also helpful to oneself. It can help with lower blood pressure and regular donation can reduce the risk of heart attacks too.
One of the NGOs I volunteer for, Youth For Seva, ties up with different blood banks and corporate offices and conducts blood donation camps regularly to tackle the need for blood. I’m also part of the Hyderabad Blood Donors group where we match the emergency requirements with the donors.
There are many scams happening around blood donation. I would like to take this opportunity and bring to notice that, donate pay for the blood donations. You can reimburse the transportation cost or whatever after they donate the blood but please do not pay anyone in advance you might be scammed and they don’t turn up for donations.
And finally, you can become a superhero by donating blood and saving lives.” ?
- Dheeraj Muramshetti, Social Worker