Friday, April 5, 2013

100 CCT Partners Give Blood

CCT partners take turns in donating blood on March 16. 


Nineteen Center for Community Transformation (CCT) micro-entrepreneurs in Binan, Laguna gave blood on March 16, 2013 to help meet emergency medical needs of CCT community partners. They were stirred after fellow Binan community partner, Emelosa Mitra, diagnosed with acute renal failure and renal anemia last year, received blood just in time to save her life. The Visions of Hope (VOH) Health Team linked Emelosa to the CCT blood bank for the blood transfusion. (Read more about Emelosa here.) 

Nurses Joy (left) and Leigh (right) from the VOH Health Team, and a
PGH medical technologist (center) are all smiles 
after the 
mass blood donation in Binan.
Just like the CCT Binan partners, 21 year-old nurse Rellymin Joy Calano was also happy to give blood. Joy was a blood recipient when she contracted dengue in high school. Thankful for how her life was saved by the generosity of others, Joy donated blood on March 9 at the CCT support office, along with 27 other donors. 

Joy has been part of the VOH Health Team leading mass blood donations in CCT communities since last year. Joy says she gives pep talks to first-time blood donors because she knows they can feel nervous about having blood drawn. 

The VOH Health Team also held mass blood donations in partnership with the Philippine General Hospital in Muntinlupa City on February 16 and in Taguig City on March 2. A total of 53 persons donated blood at these gatherings.