When it comes to blood donation, people would usually think of red blood (whole blood).  But there is a lesser-known type of blood donation, Apheresis Donation. I am a regular blood donor but had no idea about Apheresis Donation until 1998.

 

Nowadays, I go to Hong Kong Red Cross Headquarters for Apheresis Donation. Nurses there use a blood cell separator to remove plasma and platelets from my blood and return other blood components such as red cells to me with the help of advanced equipment. The entire process takes about 60 minutes.

 

The amount of blood collected in an Apheresis Donation is the same as that in a whole blood donation. However, Apheresis Donation allows a donor to recover faster. In view of this, I am now able to give an Apheresis Donation every two weeks instead of four whole blood donations per year. So far, I have given 340 blood donations.

 

To me, blood donation is a kind of social commitment and responsibility. As I donate blood every two weeks, I have to make leave arrangement to cater for the needs of my shift duties. In order to donate blood in the best physical condition, I pay attention to what I eat and my rest. As the quality of the blood I give would affect the receivers, I keep a healthy diet and exercise regularly in order to maintain good health.

 

In 2000, my wife became an Apheresis donor as well. Our two sons began accompanying us to Hong Kong Red Cross at a young age. They started giving blood donation regularly at the age of 16.

 

Indeed, blood donation has become an important activity of my family and I hope more Force members would support Hong Kong Red Cross.

 

PC Wong Siu-ming from SMPDIV