'If we cannot, let our blood run': Mumbai’s Ultrathon replaced by blood donation drive

Doctors clear doubts about Covid vaccines and blood donation before mammoth Independence Day drive

Mumbai’s Ultrathon race (an Ultrathon is any running distance above the traditional 42.2 km full marathon distance) has been replaced by a 12-hour blood donation drive since the past year. The Shivaji Park organisers of the Mumbai Ultra, which was a 12-hour run, will hold what they catchily call Operation Blood Flood for the second time, at the Veer Savarkar Smarak ground, opposite the park on Independence Day, August 15. The timings are from 8 am to 8 pm.

The event, in association with the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) was challenging last year, “as blood donation had dropped drastically because of Covid-19 fears. This time, the big question for people is whether they can donate blood after taking the vaccine, or before taking it. They can donate blood 14 days post Covid-19 vaccination. People can donate blood, and then wait  or keep a time window of approximately 48 hours and then proceed to take the vaccine,” said doctors at a virtual conference announcing the event. The medical professionals and organisers claimed the vaccination and donation question was the biggest query hanging over the event, so it was important that doubts were clarified and people have answers and assurance.

Also read: Sixty-three districts in country without blood banks: Health Minister

Even bigger

Anand Kane, anchor for the virtual announcement, and part of the organising team said, “The Mumbai Ultra is familiar to the city’s running community. Last year, we thought of doing something different and Operation Blood Flood was started. We had a wonderful response last year, and we thought let us punch even higher this year. We have to put wellness over illness.”

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Dr S Rajyadhaksha at the virtual announcement of the event

Tata’s Dr S Banavali said, “At Tata, we have 90 per cent of patients coming from out of Mumbai. They need blood and platelets. Earlier, we used to tell patients to bring their own donors, we don’t do that now. Last year, there was a lot of anxiety with reference to blood donation, so it was very challenging. This time, hopefully, the anxiety has declined and we have cleared doubts about vaccines and donation.”

Covid and cancer

The Tata Memorial Hospital’s Dr Girish Chinnaswamy stressed, “We cannot stop cancer treatment even amidst a pandemic. Outsiders especially, who are here for treatment, need accommodation and financial help. That can be arranged. What they need most of all is psychological support too, donation campaigns like this go a long way in helping both doctor and patient, as they take away the stress of not having enough blood for patients.”

For Dr S Rajadhyaksha from the same hospital, “Last year’s Operation Blood Flood was a huge motivational factor. In these climes, every unit of blood is so much more precious than ever before. Each donor actually becomes an ambassador for others, and more blood campaigns like these.” While Dr A Navkudkar, also from the Tata Memorial Hospital, outlined all the sanitisation and safety measures to be taken at the venue for donation, Kane said, “Donors have to register, but we will also have a few beds reserved for walk-in blood donors.”

Chirag Shetty, event ambassador

The sign off came from the event’s ambassador, badminton champion Chirag Shetty. Shetty along with S Reddy, had failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics quarter finals. Shetty will not be at Operation Blood Flood this year as he has to be in Delhi on Independence Day for a flag hoisting programme. “Last year, I was not supposed to donate blood, but I did, and I felt an indescribable happiness. One may donate money, but donating something that comes from your body gives you a different feeling. It is like a comparison between the feeling of making thousands of crores or winning an Olympic medal. The latter, I think, would be hard to define but would give me unbridled happiness of a very different kind. I would rather win that Olympic medal than make those thousand crores,” ended the ace shuttler summing up the stirring mood of this blood donation drive which has at its core the motto, ‘If we cannot, let our blood run.’

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