Brenda owes her life to blood donors

BLOOD has given South African National Blood Service employee, Brendan Khuluse, a second lease in life.

Speaking at the SANBS annual media breakfast, Brenda, who operates mobile clinics in the Durban North area, said blood donors have given her a second chance at life.

“In 2009 I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, a type of cancer that begins in immune system cells called lymphocytes. As a nurse, I knew what was in store for me and I knew it was going to be tough,” she said.

Having had to go for six sessions of chemo, Brenda started losing her hair and lost weight, but said those were side effects she could live with.

“The chemotherapy has a toxic chemical that kills cells to fight the cancer. New cells are then formed. By my second treatment I needed blood transfusions and my chemo was extended from six months to eight months,” Brendan said.

Then it dawned on Brenda: “What I realised about blood is that it is not replaceable.”

She admitted she always saw being a nurse for SANBS as a job only, but realised later that blood is life.

“Your body knows when it gets blood, you feel some form of recovery. I could feel the healing process when I had my transfusions. I wouldn’t have survived without blood,” she said.

She thanked SANBS’s blood donors and media partners: “As an SANBS employee, our usage is higher in KwaZulu-Natal than our demand. It is only through our donors and media partners that we are able to sustain our jobs.”