25 years as a blood donor

25 years ago I donated a unit of blood to my paternal uncle who underwent a surgery. I continued donating regularly as part of volunteer activities in my under graduate course. In 2005, I thought of setting a goal to donate 50 times before I turn 50. It sounded unrealistic at the time since the goal needed proper focus and yearly execution.

I did well until 2015 and reached 23 units while I lived in Bengaluru. Read this blog post for details. It was difficult to maintain the cadence once I moved to the United States. Specially when I travel to India (or other Asian countries) for a few weeks, I cannot donate locally in the US. So this means I can donate when I am in India or don't travel to India for 12 months to eligible to donate here! This messes up my execution plan and yearly activities towards this goal.

I was in Bengaluru in December 2022 on a personal trip and I managed to schedule an appointment for another donation. I am now at 40 units.

In the last 25 years, I have donated blood to my family members, relatives , friends' relatives & total strangers. Each experience is unique and I am washed with gratitude & humility each time I get an opportunity to donate a unit of blood and add value to other people. In essence, I add up to 3 more more blood relatives with each donation!

The most exciting thing about this journey is the ripple effects of leading by example. A few of my friends in college, colleagues at work & family members [including my wife Anusha] have participated in this cause & some of them remained regular donors.

I am looking forward to donating 50 units before I turn age 50.

Please consider donating blood, save lives