Our very dear friend Jamshed Ghadiali from New York writes in…

On December 18, 2022 I gave my 350th blood donation. It all started on August 28, 1965 when three friends went to the Indian Red Cross blood donation center near the Town Hall in Bombay. Since that day I donated a total of 20 times in Bombay and then started in New York after emigrating in April 1976. The number looks big but when you take 57 years into account it comes to 6.1 times a year. It is perseverance and the blessing of Ahura Mazda who has kept me healthy all these years to be able to donate.

I urge all to please donate blood. You cannot buy it off the shelf and it is not manufactured. All blood products have an expiry date and new donors are needed all the time. There is no age limit and I just heard that a person 92 years old donated. I personally know of a few in their late 80s. Please do not say, “The won’t take my blood.” Ask your doctor if you can donate, then read the material for eligibility, answer all questions truthfully and then let the professionals decide whether you are fit to give or not. They will not put your life in danger nor ruin their reputation.

Remember, “Blood donors register for Bone Marrow and end up as Organ Donors.”