Panda-man: Donating is in his blood

RUSLAN Tulenov, 26, from Kazakhstan, is nicknamed “Panda-man,” not only because of his rare Rh-negative blood type, dubbed “panda blood,” but also because of his frequent blood donation.

Over the past nine years studying in China, he has donated a total of 5,000 milliliters of blood, equivalent to the amount of blood in an adult.

It is estimated that about 0.3 percent of Chinese people have the Rh-negative blood type. The proportion is not high, but considering the large population — around 4 million are born with the rare blood type.

Avidly interested in Chinese culture as a child, Tulenov arrived in 2009 to study on Hainan Island. He attended a language program for two years before joining Hainan University to study business administration.

One day in 2009, Tulenov saw many students queuing up to donate blood, he also signed up. Since then, donating blood has become part of his routine.

To his great surprise, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Tulenov for his selfless blood donation during a speech at Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University on September 7, 2013.

“I was just watching a live broadcast on TV. When I heard my name, I could hardly believe my ears. I thought blood donation was nothing more than a petty thing and never thought it could catch the attention of the Chinese president.”

Having moved to Beijing in 2015 on joining the University of Science and Technology Beijing for a master’s degree, Tulenov kept up his old habits.

He joined a volunteer organization for people with Rh-negative blood, which uses WeChat to offer help. Last December, a pregnant woman in Langfang, a small city near Beijing, was in serious condition. Upon receiving the message, Tulenov rushed to the city. Thanks to his blood, the woman was saved and gave birth to a pair of healthy twins.