Hyderabad: What began as a son’s struggle to find blood for his parents has today grown into a life-saving movement that has helped nearly 48,000 patients across the country. J Balu, a 44-year-old govt school teacher from Penagadapa village in Bhadradri Kothagudem and founder-president of the Young Indian Blood Donors Club Foundation, has dedicated the past decade to ensuring that no patient loses their life due to a shortage of blood.The inspiration behind the initiative came from a deeply personal experience nearly 15 years ago, when both his parents required blood transfusions. Finding donors, particularly for his mother’s O-negative blood group, proved to be an uphill task. “Those moments of helplessness stayed with me. I decided that no family should suffer because blood was unavailable during an emergency,” Balu told TOI.In Feb 2016, he founded the Young Indian Blood Donors Club. Today, the organisation has a network of over 5,500 active donors spread across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Mumbai and Bengaluru. According to Balu, the foundation has facilitated the donation of over 47,750 units of blood, helping an equal number of patients. Whenever a request is received, volunteers quickly connect patients with donors in the nearest location.“Whenever we get a call, we immediately contact our members in that area. Within minutes, someone is ready to donate. In emergencies, every minute matters,” he said. To expand the donor base, Balu adopted an innovative model inspired by actor Chiranjeevi’s film ‘Stalin’. Every patient who receives blood is encouraged to introduce three new donors to the network.“My mission is simple, to create a blood donor in every home. If every beneficiary brings three more donors, the chain of humanity continues to grow,” he explained. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation extended support by arranging plasma, oxygen, medicines and food for affected families.Beyond blood donation, Balu uses his own resources to support students in govt schools with notebooks, uniforms and shoes. He also assists poor patients requiring surgeries and organises food distribution drives at orphanages and old-age homes. On World Blood Donor Day, Balu appealed to the public to join the movement. “Donate blood, save lives. Together, we can ensure that no life is lost for want of blood,” he said.
