Lê Thế Duyệt,donates blood. He has donated blood 18 times. —Photo baoquangninh.com.vn

QUẢNG NINH — Not only did Lê Thế Duyệt set up the blood bank in Quảng Ninh Province, he is also a regular donator, 18 times to be exact.

Duyệt likes to help others in less fortunate positions than him, and he knows giving blood is often giving the gift of life.

Despite losing his hearing in an accident when he was small, Duyệt is active in a number of volunteer activities.

“I feel sympathetic with people suffering from illnesses, having accidents or infected with fatal diseases,” he said.

“I may not be able to help much, but small charitable activities such as giving blood or fundraising for poor children will bring them joy.”

The live blood bank club had only five members when it started in 2015 and faced challenges in maintaining its operation because many people didn’t know about giving blood.

Now the club has 100 official members and more than 2,000 collaborators in the province. Many of them have donated blood more than 20 times.

“As long as I stay healthy, I still want to donate blood,” said the 32-year-old. “I just hope everyone will understand the meaning of blood donation. I want to establish a club of rare blood types in the near future for those in need.”

Since the club was formed, more than 4,000 units of blood and 3,000 units of platelets have been donated.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, blood donation drives have been held at the Quảng Ninh’s general hospital, Bãi Cháy Hospital, and the provincial Maternity Hospital and collected 1,000 blood units, helping patients in need.

Vũ Thị Hồng Thoa, vice president of Quảng Ninh’s live blood bank club, who had donated  blood and platelets 22 times, said the club members were ready to donate blood whenever someone needs no matter the weather or time of day.

Duyệt is always active in not only blood donation but also in voluntary activities for children with Thalassemia and other fatal diseases and residents hit by floods in the northern mountainous areas, she said.

Nguyễn Quyết Tiến from Quảng Ninh Province’s Red Cross, who has followed up the club’s activities and helped Duyệt since the early days, said blood and platelet donation had been supported by local residents in recent years, especially the youth. Every year, blood donation campaigns at offices and residential areas and ‘Red Sunday’ programme collects thousands of blood units to contribute to the blood bank of Quảng Ninh Province.

Duyệt has made a lot of contributions to the province's voluntary blood donation. He is so very enthusiastic that when someone needs blood, regardless of day and night, he calls on club members to make donation to promptly save the patients, Tiến said.

Thanks to his contributions to the provincial voluntary activities, Duyệt received the outstanding youth leader award from the Việt Nam Youth Union of Quảng Ninh Province in 2016 and was selected as one of young excellent faces of the province in 2017.

“Our help may be just humble but we feel motivated after receiving thanks from the blood receivers. Life is more meaningful and we are encouraged to continue our good deeds,” Duyệt said. — VNS