Zaporizhstal's employees joined a blood donation event in the Zaporizhzhia Regional Blood Service Centre. In a single day, more than 20 people donated blood. Overall, since the beginning of the year, more than 900 employees of the enterprise have become donors.
Among them is Svitlana Nikolaieva, a crane operator of the blast furnace shop at Zaporizhstal. The woman has been donating blood for over 10 years, and she holds the title of Honoured Donor, having made 50 donations.
"I decided to give it a try, and here it is. I donate blood every two months. They call me and ask me to come, and especially now, blood is needed because of the times we are living through," said Svitlana NIKOLAIEVA.
The woman does not follow any special diet before donating. According to her, she generally tries to eat healthily, so her test results are always good. At the same time, in the days leading up to a donation, she pays attention to foods that may affect her indicators.
"I try to eat liver, buckwheat, and drink pomegranate juice to keep my haemoglobin levels high. Of course, greasy food is not allowed," said Svitlana.
This time, Metinvest's young employees also joined the campaign. The Zaporizhzhia Regional Blood Service Centre notes that the enterprise's employees actively take part in donation events.
"This month, 146 people have donated blood, which is quite an active level of participation. We are very grateful to everyone who comes to us. Many of them have been donating for years because they understand why it is needed," said Yuliia VORONA, Head of the Recruitment and Donor Medical Examination Department at the Zaporizhzhia Regional Blood Service Centre.
For a leading HR specialist at Zaporizhstal, Dmytro Vakhnenko, this donation was already his 14th. He has set himself the goal of becoming an Honoured Donor and encourages others to join as well.
"I regularly post information on my social media about being a blood donor, about donating blood, and about its benefits. I understand that my blood can save another person's life. It gives me a sense of purpose, which is why I take part in such campaigns or come on my own when I have free time," shared Dmytro VAKHNENKO.
Specialists at the blood service centre emphasise that demand for different blood groups can change daily. Rare blood groups are particularly needed, including the first negative group, which is considered universal, as well as the third and fourth negative groups.
"We need to maintain supplies every day because, unfortunately, blood components have a limited shelf life. We know that red blood cells can be stored for a maximum of 42 days. People need to come regularly to help replenish these supplies," said Yuliia Vorona.
Donors emphasise that helping another person takes very little effort: all it requires is coming to the blood service centre and donating blood.
"I think everyone should come and donate. It is not that difficult to give blood, and it can save someone's life," said Svitlana Nikolaieva.
