The thought of saving lives drives them to donate blood

Gift of life: Tai showing her certificate of appreciation and her donation book. The housewife has donated 17 times. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star

IPOH: Having first donated blood to help a friend battling leukaemia in 1998, Ooi Siok Hoon had no qualms answering the call from Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun when it announced it was running low on blood types “O” and “B”.

Ooi, who is in her 50s, said her friend eventually died a few years later but that is what drove her to keep on donating blood.