Man on a mission to save lives: This Hyderabadi man is raising awareness on blood donation
Hyderabad: Many blood donors will tell you they donate their blood to save someone’s life. However, very rarely you might come across donors who are doing this because they understand the pain and suffering of people who are afflicted with thalassemia, an inherited medical condition in which the body produces less hemoglobin than normal.
Meet the 52-year-old Prabhakar Aedunoothala, a resident of Saketh Colony, Kapra, and founder of Saadhikar Insurance Consulting IMF Private Ltd, who started donating his blood after reading a research article on thalassemia condition while preparing for his Civil Services exams in 2021.
As a young man, he was moved by the suffering of thalassemia patients and started donating his blood at the age of 24. Since then, he has been continuously helping the patients who are battling this medical condition.
Prabhakar says he takes only nutritious food to maintain good health and also does exercises regularly to remain fit and these two things have helped him donate blood for all these years. He has been donating blood three to four times a year.
So far, he’s donated blood for a record 84th time. When he donated his blood on Saturday, he was also joined by his 18-year-old Abhiram. Both father and son donated their blood in the city.
Prabhakar is not only donating his blood but also raising awareness about blood donation among the people. He conducted one such awareness programme at Chourikhang in the Sikkim Himalayas in November 2016 by climbing the mountain.
In recognition of his services to society, Prabhakar was awarded the Governor’s Award for blood donation in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. Inspired by his social service, Prabhakar’s wife also donates blood regularly. He says their younger son, who is currently in class 9, will also donate blood after turning 18. As a responsible citizen, Prabhakar’s aim is to inspire as many people as he can for blood donation.
