One lakh units of blood have been donated in the past six years by members of the Spot Blood Donors Club in Coimbatore who rush to the rescue of patients in need of blood any time of the day.

Hospitals in the city and surrounding districts seek the club’s assistance when they are in need of blood, especially for an emergency surgery, or rare blood groups.

Abbas Habibullah who heads the club said, “We have donated blood to patients especially suffering from cancer, heart diseases and blood disorders like Thalassemia.”

Habibullah said the club has reached out to people in Tirupur, Chennai, Salem and Pollachi, and even those as far as Saudi Arabia.

“Some of our members who had left for the Gulf country recently helped a patient there when we got in touch with them.”

Habibullah, who has been honoured with various awards, including the Governor’s Award at the Gem Hospital, said he came face to face with the need for blood when his uncle underwent a surgery.

“When the hospital asked us to arrange for O positive blood type, I became nervous and decided to simply step out on to the road and ask passers-by for blood to save a life, and a few people came forward to donate.”

Habibullah, who was about 19 years old then, said that’s the day when he realized the importance of blood donation to save lives.

“I didn’t even know blood has various groups,” he said with a laugh.

“When I offered to donate my blood, I came to know I have the rare type of A negative blood.”

Spot Blood Donors Club was inspired by an incident where he donated blood to a boy from Annur, whose abdomen was accidentally split by a machete when he broke a coconut and was battling for his life at a hospital.

The urgency and distress were more pronounced as the blood they required belonged to the rare blood type, he said.
“I was so overwhelmed when the emotionally shaken mother of the boy thanked me with all her heart, and that’s when I decided to start a club that will only say yes when someone asked for blood.”

My friends and I then pored over this idea to help patients in need of blood and started the Spot Blood Donors Club in 2010, he said.

Habibullah who sells flowers for a living, said he spends a couple of hours a day for blood donation service.

“My phone has a database of donors, and my job is to introduce donors to recipients’ families. I also maintain a record of the gap required between two donations. Some donors inform me that they are ready for the next donation.”

He said the donors who become ineligible to donate blood due to diabetes or any other condition will be entered in a separate list with the aim to help them when they are in need.

Habibullah, who has donated blood 25 times, said his group of donors comprises college students, office goers and people from almost all walks of life.

Has he ever said no to a donor?

“Yes, when the blood group is rare, but only after we exhausted all options.”

The Bombay phenotype (hh) – commonly known as the Bombay blood – is the rarest form, and I have 10 donors belonging to this group, Habibullah said.

Fresh blood necessary for heart surgery and cancer patients sometimes suffers a shortage, he said.

Donating blood, costs you nothing, and it is a rewarding experience, said Habibullah.