Hetauda: Dipendra Pathak, a local resident of Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City, is always on his toes to donate blood to the needy.
On Wednesday (June 22), he donated blood for the 50th time. “I feel utmost satisfaction after donating blood every time,” he shared his feeling after donating the blood.
Pathak, a Program Coordinator at Rural Awareness and Development Organization – Nepal (RADO – Nepal), is known at local levels in Makwanpur as a cheerful blood donor.
“I truly believe that donating blood is an act of saving lives,” he said. “I get the meaning of human values each time when I donate blood to the people who are struggling for their lives.”
How it started
I had not expected that one day I would become a known blood donor, he shared. “Some 20 years ago, I went to a blood donation program with one of my friends. Suddenly a feeling of donating blood developed inside me and I followed that feeling of my inner soul.”
“That moment I felt that my blood will save someone’s life in the future. It was a moment of true satisfaction. It was a moment of realizing the human value,” he proudly recalled the past. “Since then, I kept alive the feeling of saving the lives of people in need.”
In the initial years, Pathak never imagined donating blood frequently. “But every time I participated in blood donation campaigns, I got a feeling that my blood is saving a life. This encouraged me to frequently donate blood,” he told Nepal Live Today at a local tea shop in Hetauda.
In the past few years, people have started remembering Pathak when there is an urgent need for blood in local hospitals and in the region. “I am happy that people remember me whenever there is a need for it,” he smiled.
The happy faces of people after getting blood have inspired Pathak to encourage his friends and family members to donate blood. “I have been encouraging my friends and family members to participate in blood donation campaigns regularly. But sometimes, we need to work hard to debunk the myths surrounding blood donation. We need to convince people that it is a true humanitarian service and there is no harm to our health by donating blood.”
Satisfying moments
Pathak is always ready to donate blood to save precious lives. “I am always available if someone needs blood in the region. Be it chilly nights or hot afternoons, I have never hesitated to go to the blood bank when there is an emergency. The happy faces I see after donation, sometimes, make me emotional, he said.
“Had I followed the required interval of three months for blood donation, I would have already donated more than 60/65 pints of blood.”
“As I am a frequent donor, the blood bank in Hetauda has requested me to wait for emergency situations,” he said. “These days, I donate blood when there are emergency calls from the bank for the B positive blood.”
“Every moment is satisfying as we can see a sense of thankfulness in the face of the potential blood receivers and family members,” he said. “The most satisfying moments are when family members of blood recipient say ‘the life of the patient was not possible without your blood’.”
“For this reason and for the purpose of saving a life, I never hesitate to reach the blood bank when I receive calls,” he said. “In emergency situations, we need to be quick. The quicker we are in donating blood, the more possibility of saving a precious life.”
I did not stop myself from donating blood even during Covid-19 was spreading like a wildfire, he shared.
‘A true social work’
Dipendra is involved in social work for more than a decade. As a dedicated social worker, he has visited rural parts of Makawanpur and other districts, touching the lives of underprivileged and deprived people.
His focus is on issues such as disaster risk management, child protection and safety and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) among others.
“Involvement in such areas is also a satisfying work as we can directly contribute to the cause of social change and transformation,” he said. “The satisfaction I get after blood donation also inspired me to engage in social work.”
Pathak strongly believes that blood donation is also a social work, where results are tangible and can be measured immediately. “The outcome of donating blood comes in the form of new life.”
Final words
Of late, he has started inspiring his friends and family members to donate blood at regular intervals. Concluding his remark he says: “I will donate blood till healthy blood keeps on flowing through my veins.”
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