Aisha Dafalla, 55, donated blood for the very first time at the age of 17 while in Form Three during a blood drive in high school. She was encouraged to do because they would be given free soda and bread.

On arriving at the blood donation site, the facilitators explained what was required of her, including a weight check and drawing a blood sample to check the haemoglobin level.

Everything was going smoothly until the actual donation started.

“I fainted and I was unconscious for about 10 minutes. My friends were in shock. I later understood that I had suffered a panic attack. Thankfully, volunteers from St John Ambulance were nearby to administer first aid.”