Blood donation continues to remain a challenge in India, with demand far exceeding the supply. In 2023, then Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, S.P. Baghel had said that the demand for a blood transfusion arises every 2 seconds in India. “On an average, 14.6 million blood (units) is needed every year and there is always a shortage of 1 million,” he said.

Each donation has the potential to save up to three lives. However, lack of awareness, and rampant misinformation, discourage many from donating blood.

This World Blood Donor Day, First Check celebrates the young blood donors, who are the silent heroes without whom many lives would be lost yearly.

Attendance, free snacks to personal tragedies: reasons why they started donating blood

25 year old Shruti from Kerala first donated blood when she was all of 19 years of age, at a blood donation camp organised in her college. Her motivation then was the free snacks and the attendance you get for any missed classes.

“At that time, I didn’t fully understand the impact it could have, but I remember feeling a deep sense of relief afterwards,” she said.

Now, over six years later, she has become a regular donor and there’s no incentive except to help people.

“Over the years, as I continued to donate, I met people whose lives were saved because of donors like me. That’s when it became personal to me, knowing that my small act could literally mean the difference between life and death for someone,” she said.

Nitin, who’s now 31, has been donating blood since he was 23. He first started donating blood when local clubs in his area conducted blood donation drives; but now he has been an active donor, giving blood to blood banks, every 4 or 5 months.

“What motivates me and people like me is the sense of community—we’re always ready to help, no matter the time of day. It’s a small effort for us, but it means the world to someone in need,” said Nitin.

Ajith still remembers the time he first donated blood; he was 20 years old and there was a car accident in his neighbourhood. When a call was made for A+ blood to help the victims of the crash, Ajith stepped forward.

“That day changed me, until then what I had only seen on television and read in newspapers occurred to me. I realised the importance of being proactive and helping when I can. Since then, I’ve been a regular donor as I mentioned earlier,” he said.

Both of them continue to donate blood for very personal reasons—both have had experiences of strangers coming forward to donate blood when their loved ones needed it. That sense gratitude motivates them to give forward.

Social media, WhatsApp: how blood donors mobilise

Social media and WhatsApp have become great tools in helping donors and patients in need connect. For instance, a profile by the name of Blood Donors India on X.com, has about 11 lakh followers, and regularly post regarding requirements for blood donations, with the name of the patient, the location, their contact information and the blood type needed.

Ajith and Nitin are both members of a WhatsApp group that similarly alert donors to patients in need.

“In our WhatsApp group, whenever someone needs blood, a member posts a detailed request including the patient’s blood group, location, and urgency. This message is immediately seen by all members, who then check their availability and health status. Interested donors respond quickly, and the group admins coordinate to connect the donor with the patient or hospital. Sometimes, if the first few donors aren’t available, the message is broadcast multiple times or shared with related groups to widen the reach,” explained Ajith.

Now Ajith is also a part of the largest group of blood donors in Kerala, called “Kerala Bloodnet” another organised group of blood donors operating across the state.

These groups, profiles and pages, some with millions of members or followers, can often be the lifeline for many caregivers trying to find a donor for their loved ones.

Also read: One unit, three lives: Experts urge regular blood donation on World Donor Day