Rudolph Isaacs has given more than 41 pints of blood since he first donated in 1991. His blood is a rare sub-group, U-negative, and he gives blood regularly.
Rudolph didn’t know what his blood type was until a spur-of-the-moment decision one day in September 1991. “I walked past a drop-in blood donation centre,” says Rudolph, who was born and grew up in Plumstead, London. “I was 28 at the time and always liked doing something to help other people, so I decided to walk in and do it.”
It’s lucky he did, because it turned out he has a rare blood type. In 2008, Rudolph was one of only 28 U-negative donors in England. U-negative is a rare sub-group within main blood types (such as A, B and O), and occurs only in people of African or African Caribbean descent. Around one African Caribbean person in 400 has it.
Life-saving blood
Rudolph found his first donation easy. “I was fine. I didn't have any problems with the needle," he says, laughing. "I was a professional boxer so I’d had some cuts in my time.”
Rudolph’s blood can be given to anybody who is B-positive (this is his main blood group), but is especially valuable for people who need regular blood transfusions, such as people with haemophilia or sickle cell anaemia.
This is because people who have regular blood transfusions can develop a serious reaction to certain parts of donor blood cells, called antigens. Many develop a reaction to one or more of the common antigens that most people have in their blood. Rudolph's blood does not have the common U antigen, and can be given without the risk of reaction.
“When the staff told me my blood wasn’t very common, I was surprised,” says Rudolph, who is now a train maintenance fitter. “I had no idea. I asked my mum about it, and she didn’t know either.
"I feel great giving blood, knowing that I’m helping someone.”
Donating "on call"
U-negative blood is so precious that sometimes donors are asked to give blood "on call" when it is needed. Under National Blood Service (NBS) regulations, a person can’t give more than three donations a year. This is usually every 16 weeks. But when blood is desperately needed, people can be asked to donate again after 12 weeks, which Rudolph did this year.
The NBS has also sent U-negative blood abroad to help patients in other countries when stocks are low.
At his first donation, Rudolph saw a leaflet about bone marrow transplants and put his name on the bone marrow register too. A bone marrow transplant can help treat people who have leukaemia. He'd like to see more people giving blood, no matter what their blood type. He believes that the reasons people give for not doing it, such as not having time or being scared of needles, can be overcome.
“Just do it,” he says. “If you don’t like needles, look away. It only takes 40 minutes of your time, and you could save someone’s life.”
African Caribbean donors
The NBS needs more African Caribbean donors. Only 1.5% of registered blood and organ donors are from African Caribbean or Asian communities. Body tissue has very specific characteristics, which means that transfusions and transplants are far more likely to be successful when the donor and recipient are of a similar ethnic background.
Rudolph has three children – two sons, aged 17 and 20, and a daughter, 14. He'd be proud if they decided to donate too. “I have no idea what their blood type is, but I’d be happy if they became donors,” he says. “It’s a good thing to do. My oldest son is coming with me next time I go."
Rudolph, whose mum is Jamaican and whose dad is Ghanaian, says: “The way I look at it, someone in your family might need it one day, and it’s you that could save them. You never know what’s around the corner.”
If you're inspired by Rudolph's story, you can find blood donation centres near you.
This interview was given in 2008.
