This Man With Rare Blood Type Successfully Overcomes Needle Phobia With Blood Donation, Emergency 'Specialist'

Blood donation illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Senior Airman Shane Karp)

JAKARTA - Who would have thought, having a phobia of needles, this man is actually able to save people by overcoming his fear, because he has a rare blood type.

It is Roy Rajan (34), a man from India who actually has a phobia of needles and blood, but has now become a regular blood donor in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as well as overcome his fear.

Speaking ahead of World Blood Donor Day on June 14, Rajan, who is originally from Kerala and works as a senior marketing executive at Burjeel Medical Centre, said donating blood is noble, because it saves lives.

According to the Mayo Clinic, this blood type has the lowest risk of causing serious reactions for most people who receive it.

"All my life I have had such a fear of blood and needles that I have tried to avoid medical examinations as much as possible," he said.

But a phone call from someone five years ago, who begged him to donate blood to save his life, changed his perspective.

Roy Rajan. (Source: Roy Rajan via The National News)

"That night, I realized the importance of donating blood and decided to keep doing it as much as possible. The feeling was incredible, and I realized it was much bigger than my fear," said Rajan.

He now donates blood every three months and in the last five years, he has donated blood up to 20 times.

Rare blood types are always in demand because they can be given to patients of all blood types. In trauma situations, it is the first choice for transfusion, before the doctor determines the patient's blood type.

"After the first donation, Seha blood bank officers sent messages whenever there was a shortage or an emergency. These messages touched and gave me the encouragement I needed to donate," said Rajan.

"I go every three months and do my part. Of course, I was still worried before stepping into the blood bank, because of my fear of needles. But then I reminded myself that I needed to do this to help other people."

Healthy adults should maintain a distance of at least eight weeks (56 days) between blood donations.

"Blood is precious, and you can't just go out and buy it without a prescription. I feel happy when I'm there donating blood, hearing them say, someone's life was saved because they got blood on time," he explained.

"My message to people who are considering donating blood but are held back by anxiety, you don't need to worry. After all, the feeling of helping someone is more satisfying than being held back by your fear," he said.

To note, every year on World Blood Donor Day, the authorities in Abu Dhabi urge people to donate blood and save lives.