Blood saves lives, say survivors
Stories of how blood saved patients' lives were told at the SANBS media breakfast.
THE South African National Blood Service (SANBS) hosted the media at a breakfast last Friday, to thank them for their contribution in increasing the number of blood donors in KZN.
Speaking at the breakfast, Sifiso Khoza, regional marketing manager for SANBS, said the Blood Service in South Africa plays a critical role in the healthcare system and needs to collect approximately 3 000 units of blood a day in order to meet the demand from patients in South Africa for various blood products.
“Most people tend to take blood for granted, however many lifesaving medical interventions and procedures would simply not be possible without blood being available. We rely on the goodwill of voluntary blood donors in order to ensure that sufficient blood is available daily. In this regard we face many challenges and getting sufficient blood is therefore an ongoing challenge for our donor staff, and it is especially difficult in winter and November and December, with exams and long summer vacation,” he said.
Although SANBS has been able to meet its recent targets for the total amount of blood donated, he said the population is growing and, along with it, the demand for blood products.
At the breakfast, two guest speakers shared their stories of how blood transfusions from selfless donors saved their lives.
Claudette Gibb, who is a below the knee amputee, said she had gone into hospital for a routine procedure in 2010, but the operation went 'horribly wrong' and lead to complications.
“I was in ICU for four months, and 18 operations later, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the 27 pints of blood I received. I am grateful to SANBS for all they have done. I'm a survivor because of the blood I was given. I want to be an ambassador and encourage people to donate blood so others can also survive,” she said.
Miso Khoza, a 15-year-old pupil at Maritzburg College, told his story of how he found out he had cancer in 2013. He said he wouldn't have known what a difference blood donation makes if it wasn't for his ordeal.
Miso had nine surgeries on his chest and one on his back, and in May 2014 he was told he was clear of cancer cells.
“In August 2015, I was diagnosed again and I have my last chemo next week. I made it this far thanks to the donors. One morning I woke up and saw a huge bag of blood attached to my arm and it put everything into perspective. Someone took the time out of their busy life to donate blood so that I could live. Giving blood is more than a gift, and is way more important than people think. Blood saves lives, and these people are superheroes to me. This gives people the chance to do things in their lives that they might not be able to do without the blood transfusions they received,” he said.
