Young people share rare blood

Members of Kien Giang Blood Bank Club participate in voluntary blood donation. Photo: HUYNH ANH

Early last July, Ms. Hieu received a notice on the rare blood group of the Kien Giang Blood Bank Club, that there was an emergency patient at Kien Giang General Hospital who urgently needed a unit of O Rh- blood. Her house was about 12km from the hospital. At nearly 7pm, she arranged to leave her children with relatives to look after, and she drove to the hospital. Ms. Hieu shared: “People with rare blood, if there is no blood donor, the chance of regaining life is very slim. Therefore, when someone needs blood, even late at night, traveling a long distance, I am always ready to share my blood to save people”.

Knowing that she had a rare blood type, the hospital advised her to notify 3 months in advance to have a blood reserve in case of risks during childbirth. At that time, she was worried because she had never heard of this rare blood type. Fortunately, both mother and child were safe. Later, she learned that the rate of people with rare blood types in Vietnam is very low (about 1 in 1,000 people has a rare blood type). “When I gave birth to my second child, right at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, there was no O Rh- blood reserve available at the hospital. I became more aware of the need to protect myself and be more careful in my daily life. For women, health protection is even more important, because when performing the role of motherhood, there can be many risks during pregnancy and childbirth. I hope that everyone will take the initiative to test to know their blood type. Even if they do not have a rare blood type, they should still actively participate in voluntary blood donation, which is very meaningful for the life of the community,” said Ms. Hieu.

The characteristic of Rh- is that it can be transfused to people with Rh+ or Rh- groups, but can only receive Rh- blood. If the wrong blood group is transfused, hemolysis (mutual exclusion reaction) will occur, causing shock, kidney failure, cardiovascular collapse, and even death. Patients in emergency situations who need blood transfusions are often in difficulty, and patients with rare Rh- blood types have even more difficulty. The Kien Giang Blood Bank Club's establishment of a rare blood donation group is an effort, opening up opportunities for people with rare blood types to help each other regain their lives. The club was established nearly 5 years ago, with more than 1,000 members regularly donating blood.

Most of them are young people, living in many localities in the province, working in many different industries and professions and having rare blood types such as O Rh-, A Rh-, B Rh-, AB Rh-. Mr. Vo Van Tanh - Head of Kien Giang Blood Bank Club shared: "Connecting and keeping in regular contact between people with rare blood types is extremely important. This helps them feel more secure, if unfortunately they have an accident that requires blood for treatment or surgery, the blood source will be mobilized promptly".

HUYNH ANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nguoi-tre-chia-se-mau-hiem-a426707.html