By Marike Gevers
In August, we celebrated woman’s month, and who better to feature than Pippa Hudson, Cape Talk Presenter, and her daughter Jenna, a mother-daughter-duo who save lives together. Collectively they have saved 195 lives together.
Pippa was introduced to blood donation as a student at Wits University and since then made blood donation part of her life. “I had a seed planted from a teacher that said I have a relatively rare blood type. We also have lots of medics in the family and had an awareness of it, but the real trigger was seeing the blood donation clinic. It was an instant no-brainer – why would you not?” said Pippa.
Jenna was inspired by her mother, who donates every 2 months. A week after she turned 16, they donated blood together for the first time. “The best thing about going to donate with my mom is that I get to steal her gifts and cookies”, says Jenna.
They both describe the process as seamless, quick and very easy. For those who are scared of needles, “It’s the tiniest prick, and it really doesn’t hurt,” says Pippa. She goes on to say it’s almost the only time she gets the luxury of putting her feet up for 20 minutes, have uninterrupted time and enjoying the best biscuits afterwards. “The teams are so professional, you get the best service, and the process is really just slick and smooth”, she added. Jenna also added that the clinic team explained everything to her when she donated the first time and made sure she didn’t feel too nervous.
When Pippa was asked what blood donation means to her, she said that it is something she is proud of. She added that it is much easier than you think, and it will hurt less than you think. “It might seem like half an hour of your time that you are giving up, but you are potentially saving lives with every single donation. Think about what it would be like if you were the patient needing the blood or if it was your child, husband, or parent, and it wasn’t there. Think about how that would feel. It’s something so easy to do, yet it makes such an enormous difference to the person on the receiving end”, said Pippa. Jenna encouraged others who are still considering becoming blood donors, “It’s an easy way to do something very meaningful. It doesn’t require much effort on your part, but you can save the lives of other people.” Jenna said that it is fulfilling to know that they have been able to make a positive difference in the lives of other people.
Like mother-like-daughter, Pippa and Jenna are true blood donor ambassadors and an inspiration to us all.
