Retired teacher donates his 175th unit of blood
FOR 42 years Anand Pillay has made a difference in the lives of thousands of people just by sacrificing 15 minutes of his time, six times a year.
You see, since the age of 18, Pillay has been a blood donor and last Thursday morning he commemorated Blood Donor Month by donating his 175th unit at the Blood Donor Centre in Musgrave, Durban.
Celebrating this milestone, Pillay, a retired teacher from Asherville, said June was the month of blood donations and he felt proud of his achievement.
Inspired by his older brother and blood donor Michael, the 60-year-old started his donation.
“I was in my teens and my brother in his twenties. I would watch him go to the David Landau Community Hall a few times a year to give blood. I was instantly inspired. He was making a difference in and possibly saving someone else’s life.”
Recalling his first donation at the hall, Pillay, who is blood type B+, said he was confident.
“I was not nervous. I was at ease because I knew my one unit of blood could save at least three people, and from then on each trip I made to donate blood I would echo those words,” he said.
Pillay said he worked in the administration department at a hospital before pursing a degree in criminology and then teaching.
“Working at the hospital I witnessed first hand the importance of blood donation and this experience also prompted me to continue with my donations and to encourage others to do the same.”
Pillay, who has also registered to be an organ donor, has donated blood while travelling in India and Australia.
The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) have urged people to donate especially during winter, because that is when they have seen a decline.
“Our aim is to collect a million units of blood a year and 3 000 units every day nationally,” said Vanessa Raju for SANBS.
“The SANBS goes through periods where collections decline as not many people donate.
“This impacts on the availability of blood. We are approaching this period as we go deeper into winter,” she said.
There are a number of factors that lead to a decline in blood donations during winter.
“A huge percentage of the blood we collect in general comes from students at schools and universities. We lose access to them when they go on study break and then on holiday after exams,” said Raju.
“In winter we also have the added impact of the cold weather and people developing influenza for example. When people are sick they cannot well enough to donate blood.
“We also experience a decline in collections during Easter, September and December.
“Reasons for the decline in December include companies closing for the holidays. As a result, no blood drives are held at these companies.”