Having by chance heard of a case in a desperate need of blood, Phan Xuan Phuc, 31, a resident from Lien Chieu District, Da Nang set up the Ban Mai Xanh (Blue Morning) Blood Donation Club that houses more than 1,000 voluntary blood donors who are pupils, students, cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces, workers and labourers across Da Nang.

Mr. Phan Xuan Phuc receives the certificate of Youth Dedication to the Community. Photo: NVCC

Recalling the opportunity to establish the blood donation club, Mr. Phan Xuan Phuc said: “In 2013, an under-treatment patient was in a critical condition. At that time, donating blood is strange to me. Fortunately, when I came up with the idea of founding a blood donation club, I received the support from the Da Nang Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation, the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, and after that, Ban Mai Xanh Blood Donation Club was born. In fact, before that, I had also joined many volunteer clubs, so I want to do something more meaningful by myself.”

In order for the club to operate effectively, Mr. Phuc partnered with the Han River Blood Donor Club to contact associations, groups and clubs at the university, and together mobilised even more students to join blood donation drives.

Initially, the club's obstacle was that the number of members and volunteers was too modest, and it was not enough to organise a concentrated blood donation event. We mainly connected the Office for Social Affairs at the Da Nang Oncology Hospital. Whenever there is a need for blood, the club sent its members for donations. Since 2016, the club has attracted not lonely students, but also officials, civil servants, public employees, armed forces, workers and labourers.

On average, each year, the club donates nearly 2,000 blood units at the Da Nang Oncology Hospital in tandem with organising blood donation campaigns. Volunteers in the club not only participate in emergency blood donation, but also mobilise their friends and relatives to participate in this good deed.

After 10 years of operation, the club has, for 7 consecutive years, been recognised by the Da Nang Steering Committee for the best voluntary blood donation club in Da Nang.

Apart from implementing many programmes such as blood donations, the club has run humanitarian emergency and financial support for students with difficult circumstances. More recently, the blub mobilised more than 30 students who want to donate their hair and cancer patients that have lost their hair in the course of their treatment. 

Thanks to his great efforts, Phuc repeatedly received certificates of merit from the Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee for blood donation campaigns and the Red Cross Central Committee for humanitarian works. At the same time, he is the youngest individual to receive the medal for humanitarian cause awarded by the Vietnamese Central Committee of the Red Cross.

According to Phuc, the time when COVID-19 happened left him with unforgettable memories. When there is a case in a desperate need of blood, many youths were ready to participate blood donations, regardless of daytime or nighttime. At that time, the club not only donated blood for ordinary patients but also for critically- ill Covid-19 patients.

“The club is my brainchild and the past 10 years has been a long, arduous journey, but I have never regretted it or wanted to stop. Because I think that every drop of blood to give is to make a life to stay, as long as someone is saved, I and my peers in the club are incomparably happy. That is a great motivation for me to try to operate the club over the past years.”, Phuc said.

Nguyen Tran Ngoc Han, a student majoring inPrimary Education at the Da Nang University of Education expressed: “In my first year, I suffered from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and required continuous blood transfusion. Fortunately, I connected with Phuc and received blood donated by the clubs’ volunteers, thereby helping me to overcome the danger and gradually recover. I am very impressed and grateful to them for their notable deed. I hope all of them have good health so that the next time will continue with their great missions”.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Ha, the Chairman of the Lien Chieu District Red Cross Association hailed the club for saving many patients' lives and help local hospitals overcome the scarcity of blood and platelets, especially rare blood types.

Reporting by HUYNH VU - Translating by A.THU