Donor shortage threatens rare-blood carriers

Decisions and pressure

The biggest pressure Xie faces comes when he has to decide whether to ask volunteers to donate blood to someone with a minimal chance of survival.

In May, he was approached by the father of a 2-year-old boy who had double kidney failure and was about to have a transplant. The man was hoping to obtain 3,000 cc of rhesus negative blood.

"The hospital said the transplant stood very little chance of success. To provide 3,000 cc, we would have needed eight donors, but their blood might save eight other patients who have a better chance of survival," he said. Reluctantly, Xie declined the father's request. He later discovered that the parents had bought blood from illegal dealers, but the boy died during surgery.

"In such cases, I shoulder overwhelming pressure from the volunteers, the patient's family and my friends, but after all these years, I've become more rational. The truth is that we can't always provide assistance in time or help people endlessly," he said.

Wang has considered leaving the union on several occasions, but hasn't been able to bring himself to abandon the cause.

"The simple act of disseminating a message can sometimes save the life of someone who may have no other way out," he said.