Young Blood Donors: The Lifesavers of Tomorrow

For some young people, as long as they meet the conditions, they have no hesitation in donating blood. It’s not about setting records for the most blood donations, but above all, their noble purpose is to save lives and contribute to the community.

Inspired by Family

Starting to donate blood at the age of 18 as required, Huynh Thi Ngoc Le (30 years old), residing on Phan Dinh Phung Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, has donated blood nearly 40 times. Each year, Le regularly donates blood 3 to 4 times.

“”””My family has a tradition of blood donation that dates back to my grandfather. In a moment when my grandfather was hospitalized and needed a blood transfusion, the hospital didn’t have his blood type. By chance, a friend from the countryside came to visit, happened to have the same blood type, and donated blood. This saved my grandfather’s life. After my grandfather was discharged from the hospital, he realized that blood donation could save many people in difficult situations. So, he taught his descendants to take it as an example and encouraged us to participate in blood donation,”””” Le said.

Le also remembers in 2020, when she came across an article about a young girl who had just been diagnosed with blood cancer at the age of 3. Le didn’t hesitate to contact and donate blood to help the girl. “”””As time passed, every day I saw the girl grow up healthy, I felt very happy to have helped her to some extent. I hope to stay healthy myself to continue donating blood and help all those in need,”””” Le shared.

Similar to Le, Le Tat Duy (28 years old), residing on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, has had a 10-year journey with 24 blood donations.

After each blood donation, Duy feels better, sleeps better, and gets a free blood check. For Duy, each blood donation also provides an opportunity for a free blood test.

When medical staff draw blood, to reduce the fear of needles, Duy often looks in another direction or thinks about funny stories about himself. Duy said, “”””I feel comfortable and less anxious, while also helping the nurses easily find a vein without wasting time.””””

Not only does Duy participate in blood donation, but he also spreads this spirit to other young people and colleagues at his company by inviting them to donate blood together. “”””The more the message spreads, and the more people donate blood, the less time patients and those in need of blood have to wait,”””” Duy shared.

Waiting to Turn 18 to Donate Blood

While still in high school, Ngoc Thi Trang (26 years old), residing on Bui Xuan Trach Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, understood the importance of blood donation and eagerly wanted to contribute her small part to this activity. However, because she was not yet of legal age, Trang had to hold back. She counted the days until she turned 18 to participate in blood donation, and to date, Trang has donated blood 23 times. Trang mentioned that depending on her health condition at the time of donation, she would donate different amounts of blood, usually ranging from 250 to 450 ml.

“”””Initially, when I registered for voluntary blood donation, my parents also objected, fearing that their daughter would become weak. However, later on, they realized that it was a meaningful act and that my health was not compromised, so they didn’t oppose it anymore,”””” Trang said.

Even though Trang has donated blood multiple times, she still experiences the same emotions every time, just like the first time: “”””I feel nervous and a little scared when I see the needle for blood collection, but it’s only a momentary fear.””””

In order to donate blood continuously, Trang has adopted a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and limited consumption of alcoholic beverages. “”””Whenever I have the intention to stay up late or eat unhealthy, I remind myself to maintain my health so that I can continue donating blood. This leads to changes in my eating habits and daily life,”””” Trang added.

Vu Xuan Thang (27 years old), residing on Nhan Hoa Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, donates blood 2-3 times a year. Thang has been participating in voluntary blood donation since his first year as a student at the Electric Power University (Hanoi).

“”””I had the opportunity to join the university’s blood donation club, so I started donating blood from there. I realized the benefits that blood donation brings to the community and to myself, which motivated me to donate blood regularly. I donate every 3 months, and so far, I’ve donated 27 times,”””” Thang shared.

During his first blood donation, Thang was quite afraid of the needle because it looked big, but when the blood was drawn, he didn’t feel any pain as he had imagined. After each donation, receiving notifications that his blood had been used for patients made him extremely happy. Currently, despite being busy with work, Thang always schedules time for regular blood donation.

(According to Thanh Nien newspaper)