04 Aug 2022

While some make an impact  on people’s lives  by sharing life tips or donating in kind, the duo of Mr Emmanuel Rapowa and Ms Matshidiso Kamona are devoted to saving lives by donating blood.

In a recent interview, Mr Rapowa revealed that he had chosen to share his blood with those in need as an expression of his generosity and care for others.

As a regular blood donor, Mr Rapowa said, he was confident that his generosity had changed and saved a life or two. “My love gives people hope and strength to overcome trials and tribulations,” he said.

“I am someone who is philanthropic, though I do not have much to share with others. Therefore, I have taken the opportunity of being benevolent through donating blood,” he added.

Mr Rapowa said his journey of donating blood started during his secondary school days. 

“Initially it felt like an unusual thing to do, but I was captured by the fact that the drop of blood that I give away will have a direct impact on someone’s life,” he said.

He said his desire and resolve to donate blood regularly were further fuelled by blood campaigns, appealing to people to donate blood as the blood bank was running dry, therefore putting people, who require blood at risk.

“The campaigns gave me enough courage to assist and donating blood is now part of my life,” he said, adding “I am not even concerned by the temporary pain that comes with being pricked by a needle to draw blood. After all it does not result in long term pain. My focus is solely on saving a life by sharing a pint of my blood. My vision and focus is on assisting those in need” .

He said he had never known anyone who needed blood personally, so he had been donating bloods as an act of compassion.

Mr Rapowa has committed to donating blood every three months. “It is a commitment that I am determined to maintain for life,” he says.

Being a regular blood donor has propelled him to live a healthy life, he said. 

“I feel good that I have in my own way, contributed towards saving many lives,” he said.

For Ms Kamona, her quest to donate dates as far back as 2008, but was cemented in 2011 and she has never looked back. 

“To be honest it gratifies me to know that I have saved many souls through just one pint of blood,” she said.

Ms Kamona revealed that it pained her every time she heared that someone was in hospital and in urgent need of blood, when there were so many people who could assist but did not because of their fear for needles.

As a regular donor, Ms Kamona is passionate about what saving lives. 

“I donate after every four months. I am happy to have inspired most of the people I am closest to, to become regular blood donors,” she said.

Her passion also saw her become an advocate for blood donation. 

“Last year, I organised and coordinated a blood  donation drive campaign at my work place and some are now regular donors. I have even roped in my son and daughter, who have also become donors, though not regular,” she added.

“I have made it a tradition that where possible we celebrate our birthdays by donating blood,” Ms Kamona said.

She said hearing that someone was in hospital needing blood transfusion and the blood bank did not have that particular blood type, was a painful situation.

“I was ignited inside, but fully understood that part of my purpose is to help those in such predicaments,” she said, adding that she was driven by compassion to make a positive difference in another human being’s life.

“The fact that I am saving lives makes me very happy. It pains me when people approach me to assist family members or friends at a time when I am not eligible to donate,” she said.

Her advice to first-timer donors is not to look at the size of the needle, as most of them would be petrified.

Ms Kamona shared that donors had to be health conscious, as donating blood required one to be physically fit.

Senior Nursing Officer at National Blood Transfusion Centre, Mr Dick Rakereng said blood donors were the lifeline of many lives. He revealed that one unit of blood was enough to save the lives of three people.

Meanwhile, Mr Rakereng revealed that between January and May 2021, the centre collected 10 520 units of blood, as opposed to 9 576 units collected during the same period this year.

He said the available units at the blood bank fell far short of what they were expecting to collect and store for use in emergency situations.

He stressed that blood was in high demand as it was needed to save lives in times of emergencies and to sustain the lives of those with medical conditions, such as leukaemia, thalassemia and bleeding disorders; as well as patients that undergo major surgeries. 

Mr Rakereng thus appealed to Botswana to come forward to donate blood to save lives. ends