Ms. Tra My Hanh, 48, a resident in Hai Chau 1 Ward, Hai Chau District, Da Nang has  voluntarily donate her blood to save lives 55 times and is holding a record as the woman who donates the most blood in the city. Understanding how important and noble blood donations are, she keeps in her minds that with just some of her donated blood units, she can help save one person on the narrow ledge between life and death.

Ms. Tra My Hanh (6th, left) was awarded a certificate of merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society in 2019. Photo: LE VAN THOM

Hanh makes a living by trading groceries, but she is always actively involved in local community-target activities, especially in humanitarian acts.

At the same time, this kind-hearted woman is a member of the ‘Mau Nong Song De Yeu Thuong’ (Emergency Blood - Live to Love) Club and enthusiastically participates in activities launched by the Hai Chau 1 Ward Red Cross Society.

Not only active in humanitarian activities, Hanh also often takes the lead in blood donation. “Donating blood to save lives is a noble gesture, useful to the community and respected by society, so for many years, I have donated blood 3 times a year, and actively mobilised my relatives and friends to voluntarily donate blood to save lives. Blood donations do not harm my health at all; by contras, I even feel better”, said Hanh.

Through each voluntary blood, Ms. Hanh feels happy and happy when her drop of blood has brought life to others, helping the patient to overcome the critical condition. In particular, the donations left in Hanh's heart many deep memories.

Hanh has always put aside her personal errands to give blood to much-needed patients whenever they receive an urgent call from hospital, regardless of how far she has to go and whether it is during the daytime or at night, even at odd hours, of course.

In 2019, when she heard that a patient at the Thanh Khe District-based Hoan My Hospital was in need of blood, despite the hot summer noon, she rushed to the emergency scene and donated a unit of 350ml blood at the request of the doctor.

Thanks to the timely blood transfusion, the patient escaped from the scythe of death, and since then, this patient's family has considered Hanh to be a life-saving benefactor!

Recently, via facebook of the ‘Blood donation for emergency in Quang Nam Province’ club, Hanh was informed of a challenging fact that a patient who was being treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Vinh Duc Hospital, Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province was in a desperate need of blood group B for postpartum emergency treatment. Her blood type is B.

Although the business interruption will be affected in many ways, but Hanh still quickly closed her shop, quickly rode a motorbike to travel a distance of more than 20km to be present at the scene in time to save the life of a patient with schizophrenia.

Upon the blood donation, Hanh returned to her grocery store. To her surprise, one day later, she received a thank-you letter from the Director of Vinh Duc Hospital.

In the letter, the Director highly appreciated her worth-praising gesture. She was really moved at receiving the letter and put it in a glass cabinet as a sacred keepsake.

Up to now, Hanh has donated blood 55 times, of which she has donated blood to use for emergency cases more than 10 times.

Chairman of Hai Chau District Red Cross Society Nguyen Van Thanh acknowledged: “Hanh is a typical volunteer who has both been a leader in volunteerism and pioneering and exemplary in the Red Cross work over the past decades”.

Along with that, Hanh enthusiastically participated in women's activities in residential areas, tried her best to mobilise other members to strive to fulfill the new woman's criteria, namely actively studying, creatively working and building a prosperous, equal, progressive and happy family.

The enthusiastic woman who is always exemplary in charity, humanitarian, study and talent promotion activities, was awarded the title of ‘Excellent Woman’ by the Hai Chau District Women's Union.

For many years in a row, Hanh's family has been continuously recognised as a ‘Typical Cultural Family’.

Despite approaching the age of 50, Hanh is still passionate about many quiet yet useful works for the community.

Talking about this volunteer, Doan Van Hoa, the Chief of the Office of the Da Nang Youth Union Steering Committee, emphasised: “With 55 times of blood donation, Hanh has become the woman who donates the most blood in the city. She was awarded a certificate of merit and a medal by Viet Nam Red Cross Society (VRSC) Central Committee for the cause of humanity.

Reporting by LE VAN THOM - Translating by A.THU