Stories

Roberto first decided to try donating blood during his student days. One of his aims was to overcome his fear of needles, which he successfully did. He also became a stem cell donator.

Almost four years ago, my wife Kirsti and I were sitting with our 18-month-old daughter, Laina, at the children’s clinic of the Helsinki University Hospital, and my heart was aching more than ever.

Emille Nyembo, 2, from Oulu suffers from sickle-cell anaemia that has been treated with red blood cell exchange transfusions and a stem cell transplant. As a result of increased immigration, more and more foreign-born blood donors are also needed in Finland.