I’ve donated blood 53 times
Jun 14, 2005
AT 47 years, Godfrey Kibuuka has donated blood 55 times. He was only 16 when he donated his first half litre of blood.
By Timothy Makokha
AT 47 years, Godfrey Kibuuka has donated blood 55 times. He was only 16 when he donated his first half litre of blood.
Plagued by persistent headaches while at Masulita Senior Secondary School, Kibuuka endured rounds of tablets and injections in vain till a classmate told him he had excess blood. This drove Kibuuka to the next available stretcher to donate the excess blood.
He has not stopped since. On May 4, Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS), gave him a plaque in recognition of his services.
Dr. Antonia Nyamaizi of Mayo clinic says donating blood is a harmless exercise. Kibuuka says he walks to Old Taxi Park after donating blood in Nakasero, a distance of around 3km.
“Anybody above 18 and over 45kg can donate blood, except when they have medical conditions like asthma, sickle cells, anaemia, high blood pressure and HIV. People with blood cancer, diabetes and pregnant or breastfeeding women are also not allowed to donate blood,†Dr Nyamaizi says.
Lorenzo Kaggwa, the UBTS public relations officer, says a donor’s body replenishes the fluid lost within 24 hours and replaces the red blood cells with new ones.
Kibuuka says he has changed his motive for donating blood. It has become a hobby. “I enjoy the exercise. It is relaxing and makes me feel younger and good,†he says.
According to Kaggwa, such are the feelings of psychological satisfaction –– when a donor feels he has saved a life. And because their blood is replaced, leaving them relaxed and physically fit, that motivates them to donate more.
Kibuuka has three wives and 20 children. He runs a small retail shop in Kitintale. He loves matooke, beef and pork. His usual breakfast is a plate of irish potatoes and a cup of black tea.
From UBTS records, Kibuuka is not even the gold medallist. Capt. John Baptist Egesa has given blood 100 times. So many other people have donated blood between 50 and 100 times.
Depending on the age at which one starts donating blood, men can donate four times a year and women three times a year up to 60 years. If one started donating at 17, after 60 years of age, men would have donated blood 172 times and women 126 times.
Nakasero Blood Bank welcomes volunteers anytime during working hours. When you show up, a health checkup is done and if you have no problems, they take half a litre of blood from you.
UBTS usually gives awards to blood donors to motivate them. A ‘gold certificate’ is the highest award for donations above 100 times, silver for 50 times and a bronze for 25 donations. All these come with a plaque that one can display in one’s home or office.
AT 47 years, Godfrey Kibuuka has donated blood 55 times. He was only 16 when he donated his first half litre of blood.
Plagued by persistent headaches while at Masulita Senior Secondary School, Kibuuka endured rounds of tablets and injections in vain till a classmate told him he had excess blood. This drove Kibuuka to the next available stretcher to donate the excess blood.
He has not stopped since. On May 4, Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS), gave him a plaque in recognition of his services.
Dr. Antonia Nyamaizi of Mayo clinic says donating blood is a harmless exercise. Kibuuka says he walks to Old Taxi Park after donating blood in Nakasero, a distance of around 3km.
“Anybody above 18 and over 45kg can donate blood, except when they have medical conditions like asthma, sickle cells, anaemia, high blood pressure and HIV. People with blood cancer, diabetes and pregnant or breastfeeding women are also not allowed to donate blood,†Dr Nyamaizi says.
Lorenzo Kaggwa, the UBTS public relations officer, says a donor’s body replenishes the fluid lost within 24 hours and replaces the red blood cells with new ones.
Kibuuka says he has changed his motive for donating blood. It has become a hobby. “I enjoy the exercise. It is relaxing and makes me feel younger and good,†he says.
According to Kaggwa, such are the feelings of psychological satisfaction –– when a donor feels he has saved a life. And because their blood is replaced, leaving them relaxed and physically fit, that motivates them to donate more.
Kibuuka has three wives and 20 children. He runs a small retail shop in Kitintale. He loves matooke, beef and pork. His usual breakfast is a plate of irish potatoes and a cup of black tea.
From UBTS records, Kibuuka is not even the gold medallist. Capt. John Baptist Egesa has given blood 100 times. So many other people have donated blood between 50 and 100 times.
Depending on the age at which one starts donating blood, men can donate four times a year and women three times a year up to 60 years. If one started donating at 17, after 60 years of age, men would have donated blood 172 times and women 126 times.
Nakasero Blood Bank welcomes volunteers anytime during working hours. When you show up, a health checkup is done and if you have no problems, they take half a litre of blood from you.
UBTS usually gives awards to blood donors to motivate them. A ‘gold certificate’ is the highest award for donations above 100 times, silver for 50 times and a bronze for 25 donations. All these come with a plaque that one can display in one’s home or office.