Since young, Tee Lay Hoon would often tag along with her father on his blood donation trips. Years later, she seized the opportunity to donate blood when it arose. Despite not meeting the haemoglobin levels required for blood donation, she remained undeterred. Her persistence has paid off. This World Blood Donor Day, Lay Hoon, an RHD negative blood donor, is one of the Champion Donors who has achieved the Silver milestone for having made 35 blood donations.

Since her primary school days, Tee Lay Hoon would often accompany her father on his blood donation trips. 

Years later, she did not hesitate to make her first blood donation when the opportunity arose. Having visited the blood bank with her father on numerous occasions, she had gained familiarity with the processes and was calm during her blood donations. 

Pleasant Experiences Spur Her Return

"The nurses were friendly. In all my interactions with them, they made me comfortable throughout the entire blood donation process. I am thankful that after 13 years, I have never experienced any negative side effects such as dizziness after my blood donation," she says.

As she donates whole blood quarterly, she sets aside an hour to complete the blood donation process each time. The knowledge that each unit of blood can save up to three lives motivates and spurs her to keep the blood donation momentum going. 

In Singapore, RHD negative blood donors constitute merely 1.6 percent of the nation’s blood donor pool. A negative (A-) donors stand at only 0.3 percent. 

As one of the A- donors, Lay Hoon strives to donate blood as frequently as she can. But as she makes whole blood donations, she can only make blood donations quarterly. Nonetheless, she completed four whole blood donations in 2021, the maximum anyone can donate whole blood in a year.

Overcoming Obstacles to Donate Blood

Lay Hoon, 44, admits that not all her blood donation attempts were successful. There were instances when her haemoglobin levels did not meet the minimum levels required for females (12.5 g/dl). Yet, she remained undaunted and did not let failure deter her from making a blood donation. 

"I told myself that I would try again the next time," she shares.

Her persistence has paid off. This World Blood Donor Day, she is one of the Champion Donors who has achieved the Silver milestone, for having made 35 blood donations. Given that one unit of blood donation would save three lives, she would have saved up to 108 lives with her regular blood donations at Bloodbank@Dhoby Ghaut.

"It is very rewarding to know that I am saving lives. I will continue to donate blood for as long as I can," she says. 

Blood Donation Advocacy

She perceives that some people are hesitant to step forward to donate because they are afraid of needles.

"It's not scary. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least painful and 10 being the most painful, blood donation is just about two to three. The discomfort is really minimal," she explains.

As a proud blood donation advocate, she also encourages her friends and family to join her in giving the gift of life. 

When asked how she managed to convince them, she quipped, "I would encourage them to do good by making a blood donation during their birthday month! Blood donors who donate during their birthday month will receive a birthday token and these tokens are generally quite functional!"

Lastly, she would like to share a pre-donation tip that she has heard from one of the nurses from the blood bank which she has been adopting diligently, “Have a good night's sleep before your blood donation!”

With these perks and tips to contribute to a worthy cause, would you expend an hour of your time to donate blood to save three lives?

By Jojo Teh
Copyedited by Jolyn Lee, Volunteer