Giving blood to save lives National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) board chair, Advocate Rodgers Matsikidze (left) presents a milestone award for the 275th donation to Mr Jillian Buss and family while NBSZ chief executive, Ms Lucy Marowa (right) looks on in Harare yesterday. — Picture: Edward Zvemisha

Mirriam Madiye
Features Writer
Saving lives of strangers through donating blood is a fulfilling experience that is priceless.

While hundreds donate their blood to save a life in Zimbabwe, three men and a woman have religiously done so over the past years, making them the country’s biggest blood donors.

What started as a hobby for Mr Leo Ngezimani, Mr Julian Buss, Ms Michelle Sophie Mtandwa and Mr Edwards Mwase has now become more like a calling.

Commitment and determination has driven them to be selfless, as their good deeds save lives of total strangers.

From accident victims to women who have lost a lot of blood during childbirth, blood donation has saved many lives.

On Wednesday this week, the National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) presented four milestone awards to the four.

The Herald spoke to three of the donors to get an account of their experiences.

 

Mr Julian Buss (69)

He is the number one blood donor in the country having achieved the 275th donation after he started donating in 1975.

To him, donating blood is special as he saves the lives of strangers in dire need.

“Donating blood to someone is a humanitarian aspect,” said Mr Buss. “You will be saving the life of someone. You never know who you are saving and that’s what keeps me going and donating blood once every month.”

Mr Buss reiterated that it was an honour for him to be awarded the milestone award of the 275th donation. If anything, being the top blood donor is something he thought would never happen.

“I am very happy for being at the top,” he said. “It’s lovely to see that there are other people below me who are doing this humanitarian aspect.”

Mr Buss said donating blood had become a duty for him, which he has to fulfil every month.

He will not retire until he reaches between 75 and 80 years.

Mr Buss noted that “life is in the blood.”

 

Mr Leo Ngezimani (55)

He has written history by becoming the first black Zimbabwean to reach 200th donation.

“What started back then as a hobby has now become an in born thing,” he said. “I can feel it inside myself that there is something that I did not do this month if I do not go to donate.”

Mr Ngezimani said his mother indirectly pushed him to donate blood.

“My father was a blood donor, but my mother did not want to hear anything involving donating blood,” he said. “She had her own beliefs and would occasionally say ‘if you donate your blood, your blood will run out of it in your system. Your father died because of lack of blood’.

“I then started being inquisitive and wanted to experience if what my mother was saying was true, hence I started donating blood.”

In a way, Mr Ngezimani’s continued blood donating allayed his mother’s fears.

“I am here, still going strong and donating blood,” he said.

Mr Ngezimani disputed the notion that blood donation was a preserve for whites and associated with Satanism.

“Let’s remove that mentality,” he said. “There is nothing of that sort because you will be saving a soul. It is everyone’s duty and responsibility. For example, here in Zimbabwe if you look at the board which has names of highest donors in the country, white people are dominating.

“This must not be the case because we have the highest numbers in population. As such, we must also have the greatest numbers of black donors.

“Our blood bank in the country is depreciating daily. Some of our blood donors are now old and are reaching their retirement age of donating blood. The remaining few cannot fill the blood banks, so there is need for the youths who have ‘safe blood’ to come and donate.”

Mr Ngezimani reiterated that while he was happy to reach the 200th donation, his wish was to keep donating blood for as long as he still had the energy.

He highlighted that challenges they faced as donors included blood packs shortages.

When this happens, they are unable to donate until the packs are available, he told The Herald. Sometimes long periods pass before these are available.

“The festive season is around the corner,” said Mr Ngezimani. “Many accidents usually happen during this period, so a lot of blood is needed to help the injured. I urge you all, especially the youths to donate blood. Let us try to keep our blood banks full always so that we don’t incur a scenario of shortages of blood in hospitals.”

Mr Ngezimani’s first blood donation was in 1982 while he was still a student.

He stopped donating for a while and continued in 1987 till today and hopes he will continue until he cannot do it anymore.

Mr Ngezimani said he was teaching his son to donate blood and gets his support from family, friends, relatives and the staff at NBSZ.

Ms Michelle Sophie Mtandwa (30)

She has broken barriers in donating blood to the NBSZ and was awarded a milestone award for having achieved her 25th donation.

“Being a blood donor is an interesting journey for me,” she said. “I started donating blood when I was in Form 3. I did it out of fun for the cup of Mazoe Orange Crush and a piece of bread or bun which I got after the exercise.

“As I grew older, I realised that I needed to continue donating blood to save the lives of other people and the community at large.”

Ms Mtandwa highlighted that it was not easy for her. Most of the time she suffered from underweight and weighed between 46kg or 48kg, but this did not deter her from donating blood.

She was determined and wanted to honour her pledge of reaching the 25th donation of “safe blood” before reaching the age of 30.

Commitment and determination drove her, she said.

“The reason why I kept my pledge is that I was leading a group of young people  called ‘The Pledge 25’. It had a membership of 5 000 young people in the country,” she said.

“I wanted to be a leader involved in the donating of blood, rather than to lead them from the back.”

Ms Mtandwa said she was not the only blood donor in her family, but had managed to invite three of her sisters and two brothers, church mates and workmates.

“Wherever I am, I talk of blood donation because life is in the blood,” she said. “Without enough blood one cannot survive.”

Ms Mtandwa said blood donors should stay healthy at all times and to do this, she regularly eats pumpkin leaves, white meat and drinks lots of water.

Her family, church mates and workmates are her source of inspiration as they have seen good things from donating blood such as saving human lives.

“Having reached my 25th donation is quite an inspiration for me,” said Ms Mtandwa. “I want to reach grand donations like what Mr Buss and Mr Ngezimani have done.”

Ms Mtandwa wants to continue donating blood and to be able to share her story with other women and encourage them to also donate blood.

“Even though women face challenges, I want to urge them to donate blood like I do,” she said. “I will not retire until maybe when I reach the 200th donation. I hope that other women will join in donating blood.”

Mr Mwase from Gweru, who is one of the blood donors and has reached the 125th donation, could not attend the event.

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