‘I gave them all away’

If donating a pint of blood can save the lives of three persons, then Sonya Binns-Lawrence, the country’s leading blood donor, is just 10 shy of perhaps saving the lives of 400 of her fellow Jamaicans.

The phlebotomist, who is celebrating her 60th birthday, decided to twin the occasion with her 130th donation of blood to the cause of helping someone in dire need.

The selfless blood donor understands too well the need to give the precious life-giving substance, having worked as an expert in drawing blood for more than 35 years.

Binns-Lawrence spearheaded a blood donation drive yesterday at the Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kingston, where she invited family, friends and members of the public to make a contribution to a worthwhile cause.

The leading female blood donor in the country told The Gleaner she wanted to celebrate her 60th birthday in fine style, and that there was no better way than saving lives.

Binns-Lawrence has been giving blood for some 43 years and, over that period, she has never found herself in a medical situation where she had to withdraw the life-giving substance from her blood bank account.

Her daughter, Sweets Lawrence-McLaughlin, who donated her 25th pint of blood locally yesterday, was asked whether she believed her mother should receive some kind of national recognition for her selfless contribution to saving lives.

“It would be a humbling experience and this has been something she has been doing consistently over the years, so for her to be recognised for this by the country would be remarkable,” she said.

“This is something that cannot be bought or sold; this is something that has to be willingly given. This is something that you have to say ‘yes’. You have to lay on that bed and stretch out your arm and have that needle inserted and pump that life-giving fluid into a bag because somebody needs it,” Lawrence-McLaughlin said.

A selfless act

“She has not used one pint for herself – that is a selfless act,” she said.

Chiming in, Binns-Lawrence said: “I gave them all away.”

While donating blood is generally seen as a sacrifice where some people give the life-saving substance for a relative or close friend, for Binns-Lawrence it is a joy and something she feels compelled to do.

“I would encourage many people to follow in my footsteps, because the need is there for children in hospitals, cancer patients, and so on. And it would be good for others to open their own blood bank account and just continue putting blood there – the blood is there for whenever you need it,” she said.

She said while the blood donated has a shelf life, there is no need to worry, as the precious fluid donated would be credited to the donor’s account and the individual would benefit from some other donation in the future.

Binns-Lawrence told The Gleaner that sometime ago, she received a call from an elderly woman in the country who said she had been trying relentlessly to contact her to ask for a pint of blood, as she had no one who was willing to assist her.

Arrangements were made for the senior citizen to get the pint of blood after Binns-Lawrence called the Blood Bank to sign off on the donation in her account.

“Couple months later, she called me and said, ‘Lady, you don’t know what you have done for me. I give thanks and praise for you every day,’; and that made me feel so good, just to assist somebody you don’t even know,” she recounted.

The top female blood donor said while she may not meet everyone who benefits from her donations, she feels assured that many lives have been touched through her commitment to helping her fellow Jamaicans.

Binns-Lawrence made her first donation in 1983, when she was 17 years old. She was not eligible to donate at the time, but her sister was about to give birth and a blood donation was required urgently, while her sister’s husband was overseas.

“I wanted to give so badly because she did not have anybody else to give for her, and you know, I told a little white lie that I was 18; but I prayed and asked God to forgive me,” Binns-Lawrence said with a chuckle.

“From 1983 until now I never stopped,” she said, except for one instance when her iron count was low.

Looking ahead, the veteran blood donor said she was not ready to call it quits yet, but planned to continue for another five years until the cut-off period at 65.

She is targeting a total donation of 150 pints of blood, a record for females in Jamaica that would be difficult to surpass anytime soon.

Macarval Miller, a first-time blood donor, told The Gleaner that it was important to have blood in the bank to be able to assist family and friends in a time of need.

“The interest rate on blood loans is low, so… ,” Miller said, while breaking out into laughter. Jokes aside, he said donating blood is the responsible thing to do, while highlighting the inscription on a button he wore which read: “Real Men donate blood”.

The blood donation exercise was supported by a number of companies, including Spencer’s Tailoring, Digicel, FosRich Group of Companies, Lasco Distributors Limited, Island Products, and Excelsior Group of Companies through its Kiss Cakes brand.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com