“Blood donation is our problem and only we are the solution,” says Kiran Verma, who is on a 21,000 km walk to spread awareness about blood donation. The 38-year-old activist from Delhi quit his job to champion this noble cause following an incident that transpired in 2016.
He received a distress call from a stranger seeking blood for a low-income family in Chhattisgarh. Verma, who voluntarily donated blood, later learnt that it was sold to the family for a few thousand bucks. “Upon meeting the patient’s wife, I was disheartened to learn that she had paid ₹1,500 for the blood I donated. Not just this, she had resorted to prostitution to afford her husband’s medical expenses. Her plight deeply saddened me. I quit my job that day and decided to work towards the cause of free blood donation,” Verma told Hindustan Times.
Verma, a class 10th graduate, received his full and final payment from his job two days after the life-altering incident. He then launched Simply Blood, an android app and a website, to ensure ‘nobody dies waiting for blood, blood should wait to give life’.
On June 12, 2017, Verma donated blood to a young patient named Mayank in AIIMS. The boy from UP’s Rampur dreamed of pursuing engineering. “I clicked a few pictures with him, made a small video and used them to raise awareness about blood donation. Two months later, his father contacted me for the same photographs. When I asked what happened, he informed me that Mayank had passed away due to lack of platelets and that those were his last photographs. This incident left a profound impact on me and motivated me to ensure no one else suffers the same fate as Mayank.”
{{/usCountry}}On June 12, 2017, Verma donated blood to a young patient named Mayank in AIIMS. The boy from UP’s Rampur dreamed of pursuing engineering. “I clicked a few pictures with him, made a small video and used them to raise awareness about blood donation. Two months later, his father contacted me for the same photographs. When I asked what happened, he informed me that Mayank had passed away due to lack of platelets and that those were his last photographs. This incident left a profound impact on me and motivated me to ensure no one else suffers the same fate as Mayank.”
{{/usCountry}}In January 2018, shortly after the birth of his son, Verma set out on a mission to promote blood donation, covering 16,000 km, including over 6,000 km on foot. He, however, couldn’t complete his walk and returned home. The final nail in the coffin was when the pandemic hit the country. He received many calls for blood. The deaths due to the scarcity of blood and the guilt of quitting the walk weighed heavily on his heart. Determined to make a difference and driven by his passion for blood donation, Verma embarked on a new journey.
Verma started his 21,000 km walk on World Blood Donor Day in 2021. He has covered an impressive distance so far, including 12 states, 169 districts and two countries - India and Bangladesh. Verma’s wife is very supportive of him and his blood donation cause. Verma told HT, “On the first day of my walk, my wife told me ‘either do or die, but don’t come back until you complete your mission’. With this intent, and with the unwavering support of my wife and child, I embarked on this journey.”
The blood donation activist has covered over 12,000 kms on foot to date. He opened up about the challenges he has been facing during his journey. “From finding accommodation and food to adapting to new environments, everyday is a new challenge. I have slept in 5-star and heritage hotels, and I have slept on platforms also. When I am low on funds, I rely on my wife’s credit card or my friends and family who support my journey.”
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Sharing a memorable experience from his journey, Verma said that he once addressed over 2,000 students at a school in Mukti village in Maharashtra. He then continued walking, and that’s when a man approached him and handed him a 100 rupee note, saying something in Marathi. “Though the amount was not much, it was valuable as a poor person handed it to me. Also, I was running out of money,” Verma shared with HT, stating that those few bucks were enough to keep his walk going.
Verma claims that his walk has inspired over 27,000 people to donate blood. Of these, around 22,000 individuals donated blood at blood donation camps, while others donated blood independently. Additionally, nearly 99 blood donation camps have supported his cause.
The activist shared with HT about his visit to villages where nobody had ever donated blood. He educated them about blood donation. “A few days later, I received a call from someone informing me that three people, including himself, had donated blood,” said the activist.
Recalling another such incident, Verma shared, “In Nagpur I made people aware of blood donation in a notorious area. Surprisingly, four people from that same area came to donate blood at a camp organised at Nagpur’s Hislop college.”
Verma also shared how a retail company agreed to support his cause. He said, “I requested them to display my message ‘Donate Blood, Save Lives’ on every invoice and they were happy to comply.”
The activist plans to lead a normal life with his family and do a 9 to 5 job once his walk is complete. “I will give up my 200% during the course of my walk without any prejudice and then I will retire. People will then take ownership of this cause and more people like me will step up,” Verma told Hindustan Times.
Verma will complete 500 days of his walk on May 12, 2023. Before that, he intends to visit more countries and raise awareness. He concluded by emphasising, “First of all, donate blood. If you can’t donate, encourage people around you. Even if you are not able to do that also, make people aware of blood donation as a cause. Spread the word.”