Give blood and save a life, says 500-plus donor

THERE’S a strong sense of mutual respect between Kyneton’s Paul Ruff and staff at Australian Red Cross Blood Donor centres across the country.Mr Ruff has been donating whole blood, platelets and plasma over the past 40 years and in January made his 500th donation in Melbourne.The 58-year-old said a visit he made to a donation centre about 10 years ago helped save his life, which was why he was keen to continue donating today.“I didn’t realise that my blood pressure had suddenly jumped and the blood bank identified it,” he said.“I went away and got myself medicated.“Had I not been medicated I would have died or had a stroke, but thankfully the blood bank identified that my blood pressure had gone up.“I got medicated, I’m alive, I’m fit and I’m well, and life continues (today).”Mr Ruff said he was first prompted to donate blood about 40 years ago, when a family member needed a blood transfusion.He originally donated whole blood and started donating plasma in the mid-1970s.Since then Mr Ruff said he had donated a combination of plasma, platelets or whole blood.“Whatever they want me to do, I do for them.”Mr Ruff’s wife also benefited from a blood transfusion in 1984, after complications in childbirth, providing further inspiration for him to continue donating.And Mr Ruff said he knew people who relied on blood products to carry out their day-to-day lives. He has donated at a number a of locations including Bendigo, Ballarat, Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong and the Gold Coast, depending on where he was holidaying or where his work commitments took him at the time.Mr Ruff made his 501st donation on Monday, January 24, at the Australian Red Cross Blood Donor Centre Bendigo and told the Bendigo Advertiser he was keen to see more people, especially youth, donate blood.“It’s poor man’s philanthropy; it’s one of those things everyone can do,” he said.“The one thing I’d love to see is more kids donating while they are still at school, because they can donate from 16.“As soon as kids start donating at 16 it provides a basis of rules for them, because you have to answer a questionnaire every time you donate blood, and part of that questionnaire is about your lifestyle.”Mr Ruff said donating blood was easy and he was complimentary about the support he received from staff at donor centres across the country.“It’s relaxing,” he said.“It gives you a couple of hours a fortnight where you can just sit back relax.”Asked about how it felt to have made more than 500 donations, Mr Ruff said he thought it was a pretty big achievement and something he never thought he would achieve.Mr Ruff said he found it satisfying to donate.“It’s something that you can give,” he said. “Some people are fortunate enough to be able to provide service or money to people. This can give life to people.“You might save your own life.“You’ll certainly help someone else.”Australian Red Cross Blood Donor Centre Bendigo nurse Kathy Noonan echoed this view, saying new donors were always welcome.Whole blood donations can be made every three months and plasma donations can be made every two weeks.Ms Noonan said plasma was used to make a wide variety of blood products that helped people with issues such as burns and blood clotting and helped strengthen people’s immunity.Platelets were used to help treat people with leukaemia, cancer and other blood disorders, she said.Ms Noonan said whole blood was split into three blood components that included red blood cells, plasma and platelets.She said red blood cells could be transfused into people who had suffered from major blood loss post childbirth, during surgery, or in an accident.Mr Ruff said he hoped to donate for many years to come.“I’d like to think I might be able to donate blood for another 10 to 20 years,” he said.“I might get to 1000 (donations).”Plasma and whole blood donations can be made at the Australian Red Cross Blood Donor Centre Bendigo.Anyone wanting to donate blood can contact the Australian Red Cross Blood Service on 13 14 95 or visit www.donateblood.com.au