Blood donation is not for the faint-hearted. This is not the case for Aisha Dafalla who has donated blood sixty-eight times for the past forty years, making her the highest female donor recognized by the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS).
The universal donor sat down with Iwomantoday, narrating her story which began in 1981when she was a form three student.
“The first time I donated blood I lost consciousness and found both my parents by my bedside, I was taken for a hospital check-up where I was declared to be well,” she said.
Faith would have it once again in1986 for Aisha to save another life; a brother of her friend was involved in an accident and was admitted to Mater Hospital in need of urgent blood transfusion. Upon request from her friend, she did not think twice to save a life as she shared the same blood group with him. That experience opened her eyes on the importance of blood donation, putting behind her fears.
Dafalla’s selfless act of bravery has not gone unnoticed; in 2016 she was recognised as the top female donor in Kenya by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health in improving access to safe blood and blood products.
Since then, the mother of three continued to donate blood regularly, starting with once a year and gradually to three times annually and taking breaks in between during pregnancies or breastfeeding.
Earlier this year, the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe appointed Aisha as the Kenyan Ambassador for blood donation.
“I was appointed the position so that I could further mobilise and sensitize Kenyans to adopt a culture of donating blood on a regular basis” she explained.
Aisha’s noble act was not only practiced by her as she recruited both her husband and her twenty-six year old son to participate in her mission to save lives. Following in his mother’s footsteps, he donated blood for the first time when he was also in form three.
Speaking as a proud mother she said “my son has so far donated blood fourteen times and I know that he will carry forward my legacy once I am too old to do so”.
Dafalla encouraged people who are in good health to shun the fear of needles or fainting and become a blood donor as it serves many purposes in preserving one’s life. “Expectant mothers, cancer patients and those involved in accidents require blood, there is need for blood every day” she strongly emphasized.
By: Gamal Jamil
Writer at Iwomantoday
Edited by: Fatma Adam
