Gujarat Family Donates 630 Litres of Blood Over Four Decades
Four family members become ‘centurions,’ donating over 100 times each, continuing a multigenerational tradition.
A family of 27 members from Gujarat has donated nearly 1,400 units, equating to approximately 630 litres of blood, over the past 40 years. Dr. Maulin Patel, a family member, revealed that four members have become ‘centurions,’ having donated blood over 100 times each.
Dr. Maulin Patel, the youngest centurion at 44, shared, “We all 27 members have donated nearly 1,400 units of blood so far, which comes to nearly 630 litres as one unit usually contains 450 ml of blood.” His parents, Ashok Patel (72) and Shakuntala Patel (71), have donated blood 98 times. They recently gave blood in the US, where no age limit exists for donations, unlike in India where it’s capped at 65. “They have decided to return to India only after finishing their century of blood donation,” said Dr. Patel.
This commitment began in February 1985 when Ramesh Patel, the eldest of five siblings, attended an event where Sathya Sai Baba declared, “blood is liquid love, let’s flow it in others.” Motivated by this message, Ramesh organized a blood donation camp that same year to help thalassemia patients through the Red Cross, inspiring the rest of the family to follow suit.
In three generations of the family, 16 members have donated blood more than 50 times each. They hold regular blood donation camps every three months, inviting relatives and friends to participate. Ramesh Patel, now 76, donated blood 94 times before health concerns forced him to stop. Other centurions in the family include Ramesh’s daughter Dimple, son Amul and his brother Bharat Patel.
Mukesh Patel, chairman emeritus of the Ahmedabad Red Cross, praised the family’s exceptional contribution. He explained that Ahmedabad has a long history in the blood donation movement, which began in 1963. “People started taking pride in blood donation. Ahmedabad city now boasts of the highest 130 centurion blood donors in India,” he added.