SANBS honours donors at breakfast event
The national blood bank is grateful to donors who regularly roll up their sleeves to donate blood.
The SANBS Boksburg branch hosted the Donor for Life Awards at the eMseni Conference Centre to recognise regular blood donors on March 15.
Donors who reached donation milestones like 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225 and 275 units received awards at the breakfast event.
Sister Betty Mabaso, the Vaal Zone service manager, recognised the success of the Boksburg branch for exceeding its target.
“For the first time in history, we had seven days’ worth of bloodstock. This means we can respond to emergencies, thanks to our dedicated blood donors,” she said.
Boksburg donor committee chairperson Shaun Willemse thanked donors for their continued support, “You’ve helped save countless lives,” he said.
Pieter Bezuidenhout (69) and Hennie la Grange (66) received awards for donating 275 units of blood each.
Bezuidenhout was grateful for the award, saying he started donating at 17 and feels healthier because of it. “It’s heartwarming to see how you can help others.”
La Grange couldn’t attend, so his son, Petrus, accepted the award on his behalf. Petrus also received an award for donating 100 units. His parents inspired him to become a blood donor.
“You can help others, and you never know when you’ll need blood yourself,” he said.
Other award recipients included:
200 units: Nomalady Nomatse, Thomas Wakeford, Bryce Lavin, Prajesh Ramasser.
225 units: Amos Kotze, Pieter de Bruyn, Folscher Greffrath, Stefanus Viljoen, Johannes Kruger.
Lilly Sebale shared how transfusions saved her life during cancer treatment. “I needed 900g of blood before chemotherapy, and it was a lifeline. I started donating blood at 17, never imagining I’d one day need it.”
Sebale thanked all blood donors for their selfless contributions and now encourages her family and colleagues to donate.
Also Read: SANBS aims to collect 5 000 units of blood
