One man donates 142 litres of blood
JOBURG - FROM the age of 20 in 1961, Dennis Kahlberg began donating blood, and for 53 years he has continued to donate.
On 10 March, Dennis donated his 300th pint of blood.
This is equal to 142 litres of blood, and is also about 28 times the five litres of blood found in the human body at one time. It is estimated that every three seconds someone needs a blood transfusion to help him or her survive an illness or accident.
Dennis’ remarkable blood donation has saved many lives. He said that it is sufficient that his small act of donating blood has had a positive impact on individuals and families.
“I will continue to donate blood in the future,” he said.
Donating blood is a humanitarian gift that Dennis said crosses all divides – be they racial, political, religious, or socio-economic. It is his wish that many more people will take on this noble act of giving help to those in need.
The blood donor also paid tribute to the dedicated staff of the South African Blood Transfusion Services (SABTS). “Without them I could not have achieved this feat.”
