At the start of the new year, though the chill still lingers, a wave of heartfelt warmth is surging through the Jiangning and Xiangfangcun campuses of Nanjing Zijin Hospital. From January 4 to 5, the hospital’s annual voluntary blood‑donation drive kicked off as scheduled, with medical staff, patients’ families, and property‑management employees rolling up their sleeves to lend their life‑saving blood. In just two days, 178 people donated, contributing more than 60,000 milliliters of blood—injecting a solid, heartwarming “Zijin strength” into Nanjing’s current “tight‑balance” clinical blood‑supply situation.

Healthcare Workers Lead the Way: Upholding Their Duty with Steadfast Commitment

Among the blood donors, many familiar faces have been steadfast year after year, putting their medical calling into practice through concrete action. Chen Xinrong from the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center has made this act of kindness a habit since she first took part in the hospital’s blood‑donation drive in 2017. “In my clinical work, I’ve seen too many patients anxiously awaiting urgently needed blood. As long as my health permits, I feel it’s my duty to carry forward the spirit of blood donation and this commitment to selfless service,” she said with a smile. She adds that, provided she meets the eligibility criteria, she makes sure to donate every year without fail.

ICU nurse Zhou Haojie’s journey of compassion began during his days in medical school. After entering the workforce, facing every day the critical need for blood among critically ill patients only strengthened his resolve to donate. “As ICU healthcare professionals, we understand better than anyone the life‑saving importance of blood, and we deeply empathize with patients’ desperate need for it. I hope that by donating, I can contribute even a small measure of help,” he says. Behind these humble words lies the profound respect and sense of responsibility that healthcare workers hold for life.

Spreading Love: Different Faces, the Same Kindness

Inspired by the hospital’s deeply compassionate atmosphere, the ranks of voluntary blood donors have continued to grow, extending beyond the medical community to bring together even more acts of kindness. Su Feifen, an employee of Nanjing Yincheng Property Management, came to donate after carrying this wish for many years—his first-ever blood donation. “When my mother gave birth, she suffered severe hemorrhaging; it was blood that gave her a second chance at life. I’ve always wanted to repay that kindness by giving back through blood donation,” he said. After completing his donation, he admitted the process was easier than he’d imagined: “I’ll come back every year from now on, passing on this spirit of compassion.”

Family members of patients and retired employees also stepped forward to join, bringing together people of diverse backgrounds and ages, all united by a shared spirit of goodwill. At the blood‑collection site, everyone lined up in an orderly fashion, completed registration, underwent screening, and donated blood. Smiling faces and words of mutual encouragement infused the hospital campus with warmth, even in the depths of winter.

Forty Years of Legacy: Making Compassion the Very Essence of the Hospital

Over the past four decades since its founding, the spirit of “compassionate giving” has become deeply embedded in the cultural DNA of Nanjing Zijin Hospital. Organizing voluntary blood donations on the first working day after the New Year holiday has not only become an unwavering tradition but has also positioned the hospital as a leading institution in annual blood‑donation efforts among medical facilities. As President Ge Jiangping explained, “Our hospital specializes in critical care and rehabilitation, resulting in substantial clinical demand for blood. We have witnessed firsthand how many patients have had their treatment delayed—or even faced life‑threatening situations—because they could not receive transfusions. Therefore, as healthcare professionals, we feel an even stronger obligation to step forward and respond to the call for voluntary blood donation with concrete actions.”

Today, this tradition of compassion has not only taken root within the hospital but has also extended to the surrounding community, deeply embedding the ethos of “voluntary blood donation saves lives.” From medical staff and their families to hospital employees—whether long-time acquaintances or new faces—every drop of life‑saving blood reflects a profound respect for life, and each act of participation carries forward a legacy of kindness.

At present, clinical blood supply in Nanjing remains in a state of “tight balance,” with every unit of qualified blood potentially serving as the key to saving a life. This New Year’s blood‑donation drive at Nanjing Zijin Hospital is not only an act of compassion but also a heartfelt appeal. We hope that more citizens will join the ranks of voluntary blood donors, pooling their small contributions of life‑saving blood to form the city’s “red lifeline,” ensuring that love and warmth continue to be shared throughout the winter and bringing hope to countless lives.

Original article link: https://js.ifeng.com/c/8pioh0lq9rg