SOUTHDALE – Turning 74 years just before June 14, the World Blood Donor Day (WBDD), Robin Kelly from Renaissance Retirement Village in Glenvista donated his 100th unit of blood at Southdale Donor Centre on Thursday June 5.
For him it has become second nature to give blood. He started 25 years ago, donating an average of four times a year. “I started donating when the centre was at Robertsham Primary back then, it moved to President High School, to Rosettenville Centro Centre before coming here,” he noted.
Mr Kelly can relate to South African National Blood Service (SANBS) mission – an association of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors, which provide all patients with sufficient safe quality blood products and medical services related to blood transfusion in a cost-effective manner. He said people are frightened of donating. “This is the right thing to do, though I started late as an old man. Once I started, I then continued, though medical reasons can be a hindering factor,” he said.
His wife Glenys, who is also a blood donor, said, “Whenever we come to donate blood, it is always a family affair. This time we have our daughter-in-law, Delaine Cunningham, who also enjoys donating blood.”
On June 14, countries around the world celebrate WBDD. It raises awareness of the need for safe, good quality blood and blood products, and honours the many voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. WBDD has a further purpose: to create widespread awareness throughout the world about the need for availability and appropriate use of safe blood and blood products, and the need for many more people to make a commitment to regular voluntary unpaid blood donation.
Established in 2004, WBDD falls on the birthday of Karl Landsteiner. Landsteiner created the ABO blood group, which is used today to the safety of blood transfusions. WBDD is an annual event that is jointly sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is one of eight official international public health campaigns marked by the WHO.
