“I got married in the late ’80s and was blessed soon, with a beautiful baby boy. Three years flew happily by in a blink before my wife and I were given the tragic news. A random diagnosis for a fever revealed eventually that our child was suffering from blood cancer. As parents, it shattered us and we spent every ounce of our money and energy subsequently in the hope that we could save him. But life was unfair and took our son away from us right after.
Nevertheless, while mourning for our loss, we witnessed so many other kids suffering from similar conditions. And it broke our hearts, especially to see that most families weren’t either aware of the medical facilities available or couldn’t afford them. So despite the grief, I went to start an NGO that collects blood to donate to children suffering Leukemia and Thalassemia.
With that vision, it’s been over 30 years now that we’ve been setting up Blood Donation Camps and collecting funds to help with the medical and educational expenses of these children. Of course, there have been bumps on the way, especially with people’s scepticism. Some ask me if I indeed put the donations received to good use. Then there are others who tell me to focus on my own family and save my wealth for our second son. But to us, it has never been about money, for no amount can give us back what we lost. Moreover, every time we save a child, it feels like we saved our own.
Therefore, even under extreme circumstances, like my wife getting diagnosed with breast cancer, I tried my best to ensure that the foundation kept running. The happiest part of all this is seeing the kids nurtured back to proper health. Personally what was more joyous was having my son take up social work too, full time.
Today, my focus is always towards motivating people to donate blood. While many are often intimidated by the process, once they step into that hospital ward and understand how much a single drop of blood could mean to the patient and their family, they’ve voluntarily converted into regular donors. And that I believe is the true power of humanity!”
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