Birthday Cake at the Blood Center

By Yan Wen,Liao Shiqi &ZhangYu

On July 20,2020,Chen Longqi,a blood donor,walked into the Department of Component Blood Donation of the Wuhan Blood Center.He was greeted with a cake and a bouquet of flowers prepared by the medics there,for it was his sixtieth birthday.After 253 donations,he decided the day was the last time he would donate blood.He said,“I’m sixty today,according to the relevant regulations,I won’t be allowed to donate blood any more.So,I came here to donate blood for the last time—I would feel regretful if I failed to do so today.”

Chen still remembered his first blood donation.It was on the afternoon of June 17,2001,when he was going back home with his briefcase under his arm as usual.As he approached Wuhan Square,a mobile blood collection vehicle caught his attention.“Seeing a foreigner entering the vehicle,I was curious about how blood donation was carried out,so I followed him in.” Chen couldn’t help laughing at himself when recalling this experience.After the medics’ careful explanation,he got to know the process of blood donation and its significance.“Even a foreigner would donate blood in our country,how can we Chinese fall behind?” he thought as he rolled up his sleeve and donated blood.

Later,he came across the Wuhan Blood Center located on the 1st Baofeng Road in Hankou,where he learned that there are two types of blood donation:whole blood donation and component blood donation.Mobile blood collection vehicles usually do whole blood donation,which means 200-400ml of a donor’s blood are drawn directly from his or her body.After that,he or she has to wait for at least six months before next donation.Component blood donation means only a specific component of a donor’s blood is collected by a blood cell separator,while the other components will be fed back to the donor’s body.The donor can recover quicker from component donation.Since then,Chen became a frequent visitor to the blood center.

Chen Longqi is donating blood陳龍奇在獻血

Chen Longqi has continued donating blood for 19 years.“Ordinary as I am,I also have my share of responsibility for the society.To me,it’s nothing extraordinary,” said Chen,“I have promised then that,if my health permitted,I would keep on donating blood until I’m sixty.”

Time flies.Now that Chen is turning sixty,his blood donation experience is coming to an end.He is filled with mixed emotions,“I’m grateful to the medics of the Wuhan Blood Center for their care.They have inspired me to continue donating blood for almost 20 years,” said Chen.Chen Hanwei,director of the blood center,and the other medical workers were all greatly moved by Chen’s words,they paid him their respect and invited him to come back whenever he was free.

On that day,Chen was especially delighted for three of his friends,Li Mengtao,Yuan Xianhua,and Xiong Weiming,who are all blood donors,also came to the center and donated their blood to celebrate his birthday.“The four of us have donated blood a thousand times,” said Li Mengtao,who has donated blood nearly 300 times.Li added,“blood donation is like an endless relay race.Old Chen,as a man in his 60s,has completed his part in the race,and now the relay baton is handed to us.”

Li Mengtao and Chen Longqi have been friends for more than ten years.They got to know each other out of their common sense of love and responsibility for the society.Though Li was just off duty from his night shift,he came to the center directly to celebrate Chen’s birthday with him.Li said,“Xiong Weiming and I are blood donors born in the 1980s and 1970s,respectively.Blood donation will be continued from generation to generation!”