Dawie Janse van Vuuren has saved over 1 200 lives with his 375 blood donations. He completed his milestone donation at the Bruma Blood Donor Centre on September 14.
“One day while visiting my uncle Hansie and aunt Anna Fourie from Steynsrus district, my uncle invited me to donate my first pint of blood,” he said.
His uncle was an avid blood donor and Dawie’s first donation set his path for the rest of his life.
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“At that stage it was still the old bottle system which had a vacuum inside to suck the blood into the bottle. Since then I have not looked back.”
Dawie said in the early days of blood donation he would have to travel long distances to donate his gift of life.
“We once stayed at the Springbok flats and the only place I could donate was Marle.”
Thirty-two years after his first donation, Dawie and his family moved to Edenvale.
“At the time the closest donation site was in Hillbrow. I would travel all that way just to donate blood.”
As more sites opened Dawie was able to donate in Auckland Park and then later at the Eastgate Donor Centre.
“In the last few years, my preferred site was the Bruma Donor Centre.”
He said that his milestone donation of 375 units made him proud to have taken the journey.
“I have actually saved over 1 200 people’s lives. Every time you donate a unit of blood, you save three lives.
“Your unit of blood is made in red cells, plasma and platelets and that is how you save three lives, as each different patient receives a different component of the blood,” Dawie said.
“What a privilege it is to have been able to save so many lives. It’s the best feeling you could ever have,” he added.
Dawie urged all blood donors to keep on donating blood regularly.
“Donate at least four times a year and help as much as you can, because you can.”
To be eligible for blood donation you need to be 16 and over and weigh over 50kg.
You also need to lead a safe lifestyle.
