World Blood Donor Day is celebrated on June 14, and Ahmedabad stands out as a city of generous donors. Harish Patel, a coordinator with Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation in Ahmedabad, has been a dedicated blood donor for about four decades, starting his mission to support children with thalassemia major.
Patel recalls, "When we started in February 1985, the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) was supporting about 40 children per week. These children needed regular transfusions. I started donating regularly, along with my family members."
To date, Patel has donated blood 299 times, including whole blood and components like platelets and plasma. His wife, son, and daughter have also donated extensively. "I will complete 300 donations soon," Patel said.
The theme for World Blood Donor Day this year is 'One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.' Several Amdavadis exemplify this spirit. Ahmedabad is widely considered the blood donation capital of India, boasting records such as the highest concentration of centurion blood donors, the highest per-capita blood donation rate, and the first woman centurion blood donor.
Patel's NGO has collected 78,000 units over four decades, averaging 1,900 units annually. "We organise a camp every Sunday and have received a good response from citizens," Patel said.
Harmit Shah, a physics teacher and one of 20 conveners for Gurukrupa Foundation, is another committed donor. "We have collectively recorded over 5,000 units through camps in the city. I have donated blood in several camps," Shah said. "My focus has often been on the urgent requirement of blood by hospitals. That's how I got involved a few years ago."
Shah added, "I cannot describe the satisfaction the act of donation gives as a small gesture to bring about a change in someone else's life." He encourages students to donate blood through his profession and notes that many women have come forward regularly in recent years.
