Tonga Red Cross today marked World Blood Donors Day 2015 by highlighting the life stories of volunteers and donor advocates on how donating blood saves lives.

Nadia Fifita shared her story on how an unknown blood donor with the Red Cross saved her life when she suffered a fallopian tubal rupture.

Tianikumi Finau a regular blood donor over the past five-years also shared his story on how important to donate blood on a regular basis.

During a commemoration event held at the Tonga Red Cross office in Nuku’alofa, the Director of Health Dr Siale ‘Akau‘ola said blood transfusions depend on people’s goodwill, on people who donate blood and on volunteers who regularly donate blood to the blood bank.

He said worldwide statistics showed millions of lives are saved each year from adequate quantity of blood donation with 60% of the blood from voluntary blood donors.

The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Thank you for saving my life’, thanking blood donors who save lives everyday through their blood donation while encouraging more people all over the world to donate, said Sione Taumoefolau the Secretary-General of Tonga Red Cross.

Similar programs were carried out at the Red Cross branches in Vava’u and Ha’apai.