When family members became desperate looking for blood donors after his aunt underwent uterus removal surgery 17 years ago, S. Ayyappan, a vocational teacher at the RS Government Higher Secondary School, Paramakudi, would have least imagined he would emerge as a leading blood donation organiser to save hundreds of lives.
As he was looking for donors for B positive blood group for his aunt, a pilgrim from north India was brought to the hospital after he met with an accident and he required B negative blood. After managing to arrange donors for them with great difficulty, Ayyappan began a new journey and started organising blood donation camps for the needy.
After he organised the first blood donation camp at Madurai Kamaraj University (Now Alagappa University Evening College) at Paramakudi in 2002, there was no looking back. While teaching Commerce and Office Management to students in the school, Ayyappan began organising blood donation camps during holidays and after availing casual leave.
He has so far organised 970 camps and proposed to end this year with 30 more camps to achieve the four digit figure, he told The Hindu . He has been making available blood to the blood banks in Government hospitals in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Madurai, Virudhunagar districts and has so far supplied about 50,000 units of blood of all groups.
Ayyappan also responds to emergency calls from corporate hospitals in Madurai and other places by sending donors. He sends at least 100 donors to these hospitals every year. He spends a portion of his salary for mobilising donors, organising camps and collecting blood.
“I draw immense satisfaction in this noble deed though I end up burning a hole in my pocket,” he says. He would work with more vigour if the government granted him leave and provided him a vehicle, he says. He has won several awards from Tamil Nadu Aids Control Society and National Blood Transfusion Council but cherishes the appreciation he received from late President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the most.
All his donors were tested for HIV, VDRL, Malaria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B, he says. He would supply blood to blood banks only after completing cross matching and screening. Ayyappan has also been organising eye camps in the last ten years and has arranged about 10,000 free cataract surgeries.
