Mr. Ho Chi Thanh (31 years old) is a specialist of the Department of Administration, Organization, and Management under the Office of the National Assembly Delegation and the People's Council of Can Tho City, and is one of the outstanding young officials, with more than 20 blood donations, sharing a total of 6,350ml of blood.
"Donating blood to save people is a noble gesture, expressing the spirit of mutual love. It is an act of helping patients who need precious drops of blood to maintain their lives," Mr. Thanh shared.
Not only directly participating in blood donation, he is also a "connector" bringing many hearts to the movement. Every year, he mobilizes over 100 people to participate in voluntary blood donation, contributing significantly to the target of the Can Tho City Blood Donation Campaign Steering Committee.
At the age of 37, Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, reporter for the Business and Marketing Magazine (Representative Office in Can Tho City, formerly Hau Giang) is a familiar name in the voluntary blood donation movement in the area. From 2007 to present, he has donated blood 65 times, a total of 22,400 ml and mobilized over 5,000 participants. "Every time there is a blood donation program, I volunteer to take the lead. It is not just a habit but a responsibility," Mr. Duong shared.
The most profound memory for Mr. Duong was in 2016. During a heavy rain night, he rode a motorbike nearly 85km from Vinh Thuan district to Rach Gia city, Kien Giang province (now An Giang province) to promptly donate emergency blood to a poor patient in critical condition. Although he had just donated blood a day earlier, he still did not hesitate to leave. He quietly refused any support from the patient's family, only bringing joy when he knew that the person had overcome the critical condition.
"The big thing I receive is the feeling of loving life more every time I know I have just saved a life," said Mr. Duong. It is this perseverance and dedication that has helped him be honored as one of the 100 outstanding blood donors nationwide in 2022.
Not only healthy people take the initiative to give, but those who have been saved by the blood of others have also become the ones to give back their lives. The story of Ms. Ha Thu Nguyet (38 years old), an officer of the Can Tho City Labor Federation, is a typical example.
Having had a serious traffic accident, Ms. Nguyet received a timely blood transfusion. Since then, she has always kept in mind: "If I had lived, I would have given it to me". And she lived by that promise.
Since 2010, she has donated blood 36 times, becoming a true "blood donor reviver". Not only does she give, she also actively propagates, answers worries, and erases prejudices about blood donation in the community.
"I am a survivor of other people's blood. Now, I live a more meaningful life by giving away my own blood. "A drop of blood given, a life left behind" is not only a slogan, but a way I continue to live to give back hope," said Ms. Nguyet.
