How an ordinary man served thousands in Kerala

In the first glance, worldbloodbank.org appears to be one of the many websites which provide a gateway to the donors and receivers of blood across the globe. But when you probe deeper into the website, you find it is pretty astonishing.

The whole website and the database of more than 60,000 donors have been the effort of a single individual.

Ray Mathew, a graduate in commerce with a post graduate diploma in computer applications and hailing from Kottayam in central Kerala, has just, like any other youth, started donating blood on the compulsion of friends while in college.

The man behind this novel website which has given solace to many people in dire need of blood speaks to rediff.com's Arun Lakshman.

Motivated by friends and teachers in college, Ray started donating blood in 1991.  He was moved by the plight of a 12-year-old boy, when he once went to the Kottayam medical college on the request of a friend to donate blood. After donating the blood, Ray found that the boy was crying before him.

When questioned as to why was he crying, the boy told that his father was ill and they had come from the remote hilly area of Idukki, where no medical colleges or facilities for better treatment were available. The boy was happy and said that these were his tears of happiness after getting the life-saving blood.

When asked whether worldbloodbank.org was an organised movement, Ray answered in the negative and said, "After meeting that boy, I used to spread the word of blood donation among our family members and friends and slowly started a network. I used to write down the name of the person, his blood group with the Rh factor, telephone number, address and other information in a book. Slowly that database has grown".

Ray feels that there is an inadequacy in the availability of blood even though several organisations and individuals are donating blood passionately.

Soon his blood donation network expanded and growing number of people came in its orbit. When asked whether he had done anything specific to increase the flow of people, he said, "I have not done anything specifically, it was word-of-mouth publicity. But soon I started printing leaflets and used to distribute them in railway stations, bus depots and other public places. I specifically mentioned in all my leaflets that blood donation is a voluntary exercise and that no money will be provided for anyone who donates blood. Slowly to my astonishment, my records swelled and it increased to more than ten books".

An interesting incident resulted in Ray turning his blood donation network into a web portal. Once while he was in Thiruvananthapuram, he received a call requesting for blood of a specific group. As he was not in Kottyam, he asked his office staff to look into his data book and provide the details of donors to the caller. The office staff, to his utter dismay, replied that the cabinet in which the data books were kept was locked. Ray did not think twice and asked his staff to break open the lock.

This incident moved Ray and he decided to convert the whole databank into the web, wherein people who are in need can access it easily.

Ray was overwhelmed by the tremendous response shown by the people to his website and to his mission.

Now Ray has a databank of more than 60,000 people who live in Kerala and are willing to provide blood voluntarily to the needy without any expectations.

Ray also said that he has several memorable instances after launching the website and the story of a woman moved him very much.

She had called him and told him that she was a leukemia patient and that she required blood of a particular group. Ray asked her why she, and not someone else in her family, was calling him. She replied that she and her husband were alone and that her husband was a brain-tumour patient.

This incident shattered Ray. When asked her whether they have children, she answered that they had adopted a child.

Ray immediately coordinated with people in his list who were from the area where she was living and they gladly took care of her and were present even during and after her surgery.

After getting cured the patient called Ray and told him about how strangers had helped her in overcoming the trauma. This was one incident which Ray said he can never forget.

Ray believes strongly that society was kind enough to him and except for one incident, every thing has went on smoothly. Once a person called him and said that he was interested in spreading the news to people about worldbloodbank.org and that he required some leaflets for the same.

Ray gladly given him these papers, and after some days he received a call from a church-based organisation in Thrissur district, who asked Ray as to why he had not turned up to collect money.

Ray was astonished as he had not asked for a single rupee from anyone either for maintaining the website or for other incidental expenses. Then Ray complained to the police and found that this person was impersonating him. It was after this incident that he has started posting his photographs in the website.

When asked as to what his goal would be for himself and his organisation, he said, "I have a vision of 'think globally and act locally'. My immediate aim is to have a databank of at least one hundred donors from every panchayat in Kerala, so that people who require blood will get it from their neighbhourhood itself. In a later stage it can be emulated across India and probably the world."

He also said affirmatively that he was strict in not taking money for maintenance of the website from any individual. He has his own business and is running a web designing company and donates his free time and money for the blood bank project.

Image: Ray Mathew