Platelet donors honoured by National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusions

HÀ NỘI — Trần Văn Toan and his wife are among  二00 outstanding platelet donors honoured by the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusions (NIHBT) in  二0 二 一.

Each month, rain or shine, he and his wife visit NIHBT to donate. Since  二0 一 七, Toan has donated platelets  二 四 times.

At the age of nearly  六0, Toan, a former military officer on Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands, said he would always be ready to donate blood and platelets to save lives as long as his health is good enough.

“The first time I registered to make donation, I was not well enough due to unstable blood pressure," he told Tin Tức (News) newspaper.

"But I did not give up and was determined to try again the next time. I donate platelets once every  二 一 days, even during the social distancing period.”

Toan also encouraged his children to make donations.

He said “I am proud to encourage other family members to donate blood and platelets because we can do something meaningful for the co妹妹unity.”

On January  一 五, he and his wife were invited to join a ceremony  with other outstanding platelet donors of the NIHBT. They took their son to the institute to donate blood for the first time.

Phạm Văn Hiếu, another outstanding donor, has donated platelets  四0 times.

“I donate platelets more times than blood because of the high demand for platelets,公众Hiếu said.

"You can donate platelets once every  二 一 days, shorter than the waiting period between blood donation times so I can make donations more frequently.”

Hiếu has so far encouraged  六0 other people to also donate.

He added: “I wish more people will learn about blood and platelet donations so that everyone can help save lives.

"My life is more meaningful and my health has changed positively since I started to donate. I feel like blood in my body is always being replaced.”