Soldier with rare blood type saves lives

Gao Ruida, left, donates his blood at a blood center. [Photo by Zhang Lei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Gao Ruida, a soldier from Northeast China's Jilin province has donated 4.2 liters of blood, almost the equivalent of the volume of blood in an adult, according to Jilin Daily.

Gao, who was born in the 1980s, has been donating blood for 13 years and has saved the lives of 11 people.

He first learned about his blood type in 2002 during a school health check at university in Jilin's Yanbian. His Rhesus, or Rh-negative blood, is also known as "panda blood" due to its rareness. Only three or four people in every 1,000 Chinese people has this blood type.

"Donating blood doesn't influence my health and will save other people. Why would I refuse to do such good deeds?" Gao said.

Born into an ordinary family, he said his parents always taught him to be a kind-hearted person and contribute to society.

Gao began donating blood in April 2003 after seeing a blood collection vehicle on the street and he has been on the rare bloods list for Yanbian, Jilin province, ever since.

Two months later, Gao received a call from the blood center, saying there was a woman suffering from postpartum hemorrhage and was in urgent need of Rh-negative blood. He rushed to the blood center and donated 400ml of blood.

Gao Ruida, left, donates his blood at a blood center. [Photo by Zhang Lei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Even though he never met the woman, Gao said he felt very happy to hear the woman survived thanks to his donation.

After graduation, Gao has changed jobs several times but hasn't stopped donating blood.

"Every time I changed phone number, I would tell the blood center to ensure they can find me," Gao said.

In May 2015, a man named An Xinbo called Gao, saying his brother was injured in a car accident and needed Rh-negative blood for a surgery. An found Gao's contact information online and decided to ask him for help.

Without hesitation, Gao, who was then working in another city, took a train early in the morning to Yanbian and donated 400 milliliters of blood to ensure the surgery went smoothly.

"The rose's in her hand; the flavor in mine. What a happy and touching thing to think that my blood runs in someone else's body and gives the person a new life! " Gao wrote on WeChat calling on more people to donate blood to those in need.