By Fernandez D. Andrew
SANDAKAN — On 17 March 2024, the Sandakan Catholic Nurses Guild (CNG), together with the Parish Pastoral Council of St. Mary’s Cathedral Sandakan and the Duchess of Kent Hospital Blood Bank Unit, conducted Blood Donation Campaign 1.0.
The main objectives of the Blood Donation Campaign are to help thalassemia patients in Sandakan district obtain blood supplies for their survival and to raise awareness about blood donation, which in addition to CNG can also save the lives of others in its mission follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Donating blood is an act of what Jesus did for us when He shed His blood so that we might live. With every drop of blood, we donate a part of our life to save someone’s life. It is an act of obeying one of the Bible’s greatest commandments: to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).
Lidwina Giduan, the current chairperson of CNG Sandakan, stated that an increase of 75% in the blood bag target was achieved, i.e. 57 blood bags were collected under the blood donation program, which is the highest achievement of CNG Sandakan compared to 2017, the blood donation campaign could only collect less than 20 bags collected.
The organisers would also like to thank several sponsors and other collaborators for their contributions, particularly Dr. Francis Paul (Labuan Hospital), Dr. Jonathan Noel Rayner Molikun (HDOK), the parishioners of St. Mary’s Parish, all Catholic nursing students from ILKKM & Cyberjaya as well as all the PPC committees of St. Mary’s Cathedral Sandakan and the staff of the blood bank unit. The Parish Priest, Rev Fr Simon Kontou is very pleased with the continued and encouraging participation of Catholics in blood donation, despite the campaign activities only being carried out within a month.
Dr Lim Shueh Wan from the HDOK Blood Bank Unit suggested that this blood donation campaign must be continued regularly every year, especially in the month of Ramadan as there continues to be a shortage of blood bags and only expecting blood bags from non-Muslim donors to continue the blood bag inventory in Sandakan District.
The Catholic Nurses Guild (CNG) of Sandakan is one of the service groups along with the Catholic Teachers Guild (CTG) that follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ as witnesses to the Gospel and have long been placed under the Cathedral Parish of St Mary Sandakan. The CNG association participates in the healing ministry and care of Christ for the sick regardless of religion, ethnicity, language and background, providing pastoral care, professional, social and spiritual needs.
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