Heroes are among us, they live in our communities and we meet them in our daily lives. Some are in very public roles like nurses, teachers, firefighters and social workers. Others are not so obvious, they go about their business with little recognition for the great work they do through simple acts of kindness.
As the Western Cape Blood Service, we have many heroes in our blood donor family. Those who donate blood on a regular basis to save the lives of many whom they will never meet. Among these donors, are a few really special “angels” that go the extra mile to help us run successful blood donation clinics.
One such “angel” is Cherylene Anders. She assists with the blood donation clinic at the Emil Weder High School in Genadendaal, a very small town where Emil Weder High is the only high school in the town. Although the school has a feeding scheme which provides many students with their only meal for the day, it does have limited resources. As one of the requirements for blood donation is to eat a good meal before donating, Cherylene, took it upon herself to make sure that all those wanting to donate blood would receive a meal, provided by her. Feeding the donors is only one of the many extra initiatives Cherylene has taken on when it comes to blood donation. Each quarter Cherylene gathers her team to go door-to-door to the homes and farms to invite the residents to donate blood and makes regular posts on social media to ensure a successful blood donation clinic every time. Cherylene is a true hero going above and beyond to save lives.
Another such hero going the extra mile is Tristan Kelly, who knows first-hand the importance of blood donation. Tristan was attacked by a Nyala bull during a family holiday and lost a considerable amount of blood. He received 5 units of red pack cells, 5 units of fresh frozen plasma and 6 units of cryoprecipitate. He now hosts a very successful blood donation clinic at Kelfords Ford Motor in Somerset West where he is the Managing Director. He allows not only his staff to donate during working hours but also invites the surrounding community to join by designing his own posters and carousel ads. Tristan is a true hero who will continue to encourage all those around him to donate blood.
Prince Albert is a small town at the foot of the Swartberg Mountains in Central Karoo and Monique Klue together with Bernie Pryce have been instrumental in ensuring the success of the blood donation clinic in this beautiful village. Not only do they secure a venue for us at the Dutch Reformed Church free of charge, they advertise the clinic in the local newspaper, on their social media platforms and on community WhatsApp groups. They personally visit the local schools to speak to the headmasters asking the school to support the blood donation clinic. They collect kids from school and take them home after donating. They spend time at the clinic, talking to donors to make them feel at ease and always spoil our staff with delicious treats. These are just some of the amazing things these two ladies do and their aim is to reach a total of 100 donors attending a clinic this year; with all their hard work, I’m sure they will achieve this goal.
We are truly blessed to have so many heroes working behind the scenes to ensure a safe and sustainable blood supply for the future. To all those going the extra mile, giving of themselves and their time, we say a very big thank you, you are remarkable.
