Seraphina Thanks Blood Donors for the Gift of Life

Seraphina Giblin-Mock of Raiwaqa knows all to well the importance of donating blood; her aunty owes her life to the anonymous donors who responded to an SMS request from Vodafone for O+ blood early this year.

 

When her aunt, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, was admitted once again in January and required a transfusion, she was at a loss until a relative told her about Vodafone’s partnership with the National Blood Services.

 

“I called Vodafone and made the request on the afternoon of January 12th.  Vodafone sent out a request to O+ donors straight away and by evening I had received calls from six people who all went to donate blood for my aunty,” Mrs. Giblin-Mock said.

 

“I was so touched by their kindness, none of them even wanted transport even though I offered to have them picked up.  My aunty received 4 units of the donated blood via transfusion and the two remaining were used by another patient.  While my aunty is still very sick today, she would not have survived if those six angels did not donate blood,” she added.    Mrs. Giblin-Mock’s two sons are blood donors; one has been a regular donor for the last five years.  

 

This week, Vodafone sent 165, 000 customers in the Central Division an SMS request to donate blood at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s Blood Bank in an effort to help boost blood stocks for local patients being treated there by the visiting Operation Open Heart cardiac surgery team.

 

According to Josefa Bolaqece, Coordinator of the Ministry of Health’s National Blood Services, the cardiac team is expected to operate on seven or eight patients a day during their two week visit, with each patient requiring up to five units of blood on standby.

 

“We are pleading with our customers to make that difference in the lives of the cardiac patients, some of whom are little kids, by giving this most important of gifts, blood,” said Vodafone’s Lenora Qereqeretabua. 

 

“Our partnership with the Ministry of Health was initiated in 2008 so that Vodafone, through our reach and technology can help ensure that patients who need blood or blood products right around the country have enough,” Qereqeretabua said.   The company this week gave the Australian Cardiac team cash, handsets and talktime to assist with their communications while in Fiji.