Good Samaritan Donates 102 Pints of Blood in 30 Years  

Blood is essential for every living person. It plays a crucial role in delivering oxygen and nutrients to our bodies and defending against harmful microorganisms. In medical emergencies, a shortage of blood can be life-threatening. That’s why having a steady supply of blood donors is so important for the health of our community. In tonight’s edition of Belize on Reel, we shine a spotlight on Ronald Stuart, a remarkable Belizean who donated his hundred-and-second pint of blood earlier this month. News Five’s Britney Gordon brings us his inspiring story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with anemia. My doctors told me my hemoglobin count was at a six, less than half the average level for females my age. At just seventeen, I had to undergo a blood transfusion. The hardest part of this ordeal wasn’t the large needle or the long hours at the hospital but finding willing donors. If it weren’t for the generosity of Samaritans like Ronald Stuart, my life might have turned out very differently. While he wasn’t one of my donors, Ronald has donated an incredible one hundred and two pints of blood to the Belize National Transfusion Service over the past thirty years.

 

Ronald Stuart, Blood Donor

“My first donation was in July of 1995, and my most recent was earlier this month, and I can give only once every three months, and it has been something that I am committed to do as long as I’m able to, because there is a need and we need to have more persons who are willing to assist because from time to time, we’d hear about persons making appeal for blood donations, but blood can only come from other human beings. So we need to be a part of making sure that the adequate supply continues to be available.”

 

Stuart’s journey as a blood donor began when a few coworkers encouraged him to join them in donating. Hearing heartfelt gratitude from families in need inspired him to dedicate his life to this noble cause. Nowadays, his phone is constantly buzzing with texts and calls from strangers desperate for blood. And whenever he can, Stuart is always ready to step up and help.

 

Ronald Stuart

“One was a foreigner whose father was in Karl Heusner, and it so happens when I came, the nurse told me that someone with your name, the spelling was different was looking for somebody for blood, but didn’t know anybody who could give. And so I told her, I said, okay I’ll give on behalf of that person. She told me afterwards that person literally cried because we have the same sounding name. And when she was experiencing need and seeking blood for her father, I showed up.”

 

Stuart suggests keeping a list of at least five people in your contacts who are ready and willing to donate blood on your behalf. This way, you’re prepared for any unexpected health emergencies. Adrian Martinez, the supervisor at the Belize Blood Bank, assures us that becoming a donor is a straightforward process.

 

  

Adrian Martinez, Supervisor, Belize Blood Bank

“U sually we request for blood. blood donors to be have  a clean health status, right? You need to be healthy, no medications. And we do ask some questions on travel history, and then any immunization. The questionnaire is divided into three different sections. Most of the donors need to be eighteen years old and above, up to sixty-five. You need to have a valid identification card. The questions and answers.  Depends on your answer, then you might be temporarily deferred or temporarily or permanently deferred.”

 

The blood bank uses fourth-generation tests to screen for HIV, all subsidized by the Ministry of Health. Stuart treats every donation as if it’s his first, always making sure he’s in the best possible health to give blood. He even revealed that he hasn’t touched a soda in the last fifteen years.

 

Ronald Stuart

“First and foremost, being very active not necessarily going to the gym, but being physically active. I do a lot of walking I’ve been I signed up for the million steps challenge that the Belize Diabetes Association has initiated. And between the 2nd of January and the 16th of April the challenge is to complete a million steps or five hundred  miles. So I have embarked on that. That’s one way. Eating very healthy minimizing the carbohydrates, drink a lot of water and adequate rest.”

 

Each year, the blood bank collects around seven thousand units of blood, which accounts for less than five percent of Belize’s population. Belize aims to reach a point where one hundred percent of its blood supply comes from voluntary donors. This goal is crucial for maintaining a safe blood system and offering various services at different locations.

 

  Adrian Martinez

“When we go about, we go recruiting for voluntary blood donors. That means the blood we collect is donated free to the blood bank so that we could help others. You can be a voluntary blood donor. You don’t really have to donate for someone else because the emergency strike at different times and is It is our mandate to have blood in reserve for the general populace. By donating voluntarily, you are helping someone, you are providing a safe blood supply for our country, and then you are doing your part as a Belizean.”

 

Seven years after my blood transfusion, my hemoglobin count is a healthy thirteen point seven, and I’ve even become a blood donor myself. Stuart, the interim president of the Belize Blood Donors Association, is a true champion of this cause. When he’s not busy donating blood, he’s out there encouraging others to join him in the life-saving mission.

Ronald Stuart

“In most instances, the day that I’m here to give, I’m already thinking about the next three months that I’m scheduled to return and look forward to it because it is so critical for viewers and those who are listening to this newscast and this piece to understand. How much we have a role to play in making sure there’s an adequate supply. Somebody has to do it. And why not that person being you?”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.