Evribody know say blood na one of di most important tins wey pesin need to stay alive.
Even though di bodi dey produce am by imsef thru di bone marrow, somtimes pipo need extra blood to survive, especially pipo wey dey suffer from sickle cell/ anaemia disease.
Anoda set of pipo wey need urgent blood na di pipo we get critical medical conditions or we need emergency services afta fatal accidents to save lives.
Dis na some of di reasons why oga Micheal Mzega dey donate blood voluntarily for Nigeria.
For interview wit BBC Pidgin, Michael say im don donate blood a total of 82 times.
Im tell BBC Pidgin wetin make am start to dey donate blood, im journey so far and how im dey feel about saving lives.
My broda die of sickle cell disease
oga Michael Mzega wey be one of di highest blood donors for Nigeria say wetin make am start to dey donate blood na sake of im elder broda wey bin dey suffer from sickle cell disease.
Im tell BBC News Pidgin say anytime wey im late elder broda sickle cell crisis start dem go begin run around dey find pipo wey go donate blood for am evri month. Na dis love wey pipo show im late broda and im family na im ginger am to start and kontinu to donate blood.
“Evri moth we dey call two or three pipo to come donate blood give my broda bifor im die.
Dat time I bin still dey small but I go dey tok for my mind say wen i grow up, me too go donate blood. So wen i grow up and di opportunity come, I start to donate blood for Abuja, Nigeria capital.”
Im explain say even though im no get di opportunity to donate blood give dat im elder broda bifor im die for 2008, im dey happy see im get di opportunity to save pipo lives.
“I start to donate blood for 2006 my late elder broda die for 2008, I bin no get di opportunity to donate blood for am sake of say I dey Abuja and im bin dey village.
But even on di day wey im die village pipo run around and dem tranfuse about 7 paint of blood for im body but im still die, na dis love wey dem show my broda and me dey ginger me, anytime wey I wan stop to donate blood if i remember am e dey ginger me to kontinu”. im tok
Mr Michael tell BBC Pidgin about im experience di first day im donate blood. Im say happiness no let am feel anytin for im body sake of say na im childhood dream don come true.
“I don donate blood to pipo wey i sabi and even pipo wey I no sabi at all, some survive some die na some of di tins wey dey come wit blood donation and belle dey sweet me well well to be part of di pipo wey dey donate blood to save lives.”
Im add say since im start to donate blood im neva get any major health challenge, dis na sake of di training and teaching wey NBSC dey give pipo wey wan donate blood and regular donors too.
“Dem teach us say make wey no dey take drugs or smoke, make we no dey live risky lifestyle, apart from Malaria I neva get any oda sickness, dem neva admit me for hospital and I dey veri healthy” im tok.
Most kontri pipo dey tok say dem no go fit donate dia blood free, den hospitals go sell am, make money ontop di free blood, but Michael Mzega say no be so.
“I no dey feel anyhow say afta I donate blood free dem go sell am, National Blood service Commission no dey sell blood, na access fee dem dey charge, and dat access fee na to put value ontop di blood I donate.
As National Blood Service Commission recognise me as one of di highest blood donors for Nigeria during di World Blood Donor Dy celebration for Abuja, belle sweet me well well.
Wen I start dis tin [blood donation] I no know say one day go come wey dem go recognise me, so as e happun I happy well well.”
‘We no dey sell blood for NBSC na excess blood we dey collect’
Dr Ijeoma Leo-Nnadi wey be di Director of Operations, National Blood Service Commission, Abuja confam say true true Mr Michael Mzega na one of di highest blood donors for di commission.
“From our records im don dey donate blood for hia since 2006, I sabi am well well im don donate 78 times for dis commission” she tok
For di interview wit BBC Pidgin, she clear di tori say pipo dey donate free blood but hospitals dey sell am cost.
“We no dey sell blood for di National Blood Service Commission, na small money wey dey charge and wey call am access fee, na only N10,000.
Dis blood wey pipo dey donate dey pass thru processes, even bifor dat sef we need to do tests for di pesin wey wan donate. The kits wey dey buy to do test, di bag we dey put the blood, the reagents wey we dey use screen di blood, we need light to preserve di blood and many oda tins wey dey cost money.
She explain say if dem calculate di price of dis tins e cost well well but goment dey do subsidy na why dem no dey sell blood.
Di Head of Operations also tok about di myths wey surround blood donation.
“Some pipo tink say if dem donate blood dia blood go finish, dem go do die. Someven dey fear to donate blood sake of say dem no know wia di blood dey go, some even believe say dem go use am do rituals but all dis tori na lie.
We dey preserve blood becos we know say blood dey sacred and we no dey do anyhow wit pipo blood” she explain.
According to her di blood wey dem dey collect na from pipon wey get excess.
Who fit donate blood?
She tok say pesin wey wan donate blood suppose dey in good health. Your haemoglobin level suppose dey enough. You no go get any sickness including Malaria.
“If you dey on Malaria medication we no go allow you donate blood until afta 2 to 3 weeks.
Pesin wey get chronic diseases like cancer, uncontrolled hypertension, tatoo or any piercing wey neva pass six months you no go fit donate blood sake of say you fit get infection from di piercing dem. If you dey weigh less dan 50kg you no go fit donate blood.” she explain
According to her women dey allowed to donate blood only three times in a year, wey be once evri four months, dis na sake of dia montly period, while men dey allowed to donate four times in a year.
She add say for dis donations dem no dey collect pass one pint of blood from pesin body no mata how blood full your bodi.
“We no dey allow pesin wey don donate blood pass four times in a year to donate again, dis na to give di bone marrow enof time to produce new blood cells and to nallow dem to mature so dat we no go carry premature blood wey pesin donate give anoda pesin.”
She explain say no be true say if you donate blood you go die or blood for your bodi go finish.
Di blood donation process
To donate blood no dey waste time, Dr Ijeoma say e dey take up to five minutes to draw di blood.
But bifor you draw blood, process dey to follow, di process na:
- Recruitment of di blood donor: Dis na di process wey dem dey use get new donors, either dem tok to you wen dem dey do dia campaign and outreaches or you waka by yoursef go dia office, any blood donation centre or hospital.
- You go meet counsellor wey go counsel you and ask you some questions.
- You go fill form and na from dat form dem go know if you don get any chronic sickness or disease bifor.
- You must sign consent form say you agree to donate a particular quantity of blood to save lives.
- Dem go check your blood pressure, blood level, haemoglobin level, body weight, pulse and oda necessary tins.
- If you qualify dem go carry you go meet di phlebotomist [ di pesin wey go draw di blood from your bodi] .
- Di pesin go make you relax and comfortable, you go dey watch television to remove your mind as dem dey draw di blood.
- Wen you finish dem go give you refreshment.
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