Part 1: A quiet journey

Thirty-three blood and platelet donations in just five years is a number that few can achieve, even among medical volunteers. What makes this journey especially remarkable is that it has been carried out consistently and persistently, despite the demanding conditions of service as a mobile police officer.

Blood from a soldier’s heart

After many years in the mobile police force, Lieutenant Colonel Phạm Chí Dũng was reassigned in November 2020 to the Mobile Police Battalion No.1 under Regiment 24, stationed in the border commune of Thanh Nưa, Điện Biên province. Far from home and family, he embraced this remote land with the discipline, devotion, and love for the profession that define a soldier.

In his early days there, his duties involved deployments to highland communes with complex situations, ranging from maintaining security and public order to understanding community issues and engaging in grassroots advocacy. The job required more than just professional competence, it demanded that he live among the people, understand them, and earn their trust.

Despite long hours and tough living conditions, these experiences in the villages deepened Lieutenant Colonel Dũng’s attachment to Điện Biên, which he now calls his second home. And it was during this period that a quiet, steadfast journey began, one that would shape his life in the years to come.

“I first donated blood in 2005 while serving at my previous unit. Like many others, I did it sporadically, once every few years, due to work constraints and a lack of understanding of its deeper meaning. It wasn’t until I transferred to Điện Biên and witnessed patients in dire need, often during emergencies with limited resources, that I truly understood what blood donation meant. From then on, I made a promise to myself to donate regularly,” he shared.

After starting with whole blood donations, he learned about platelet apheresis, a more complex process requiring longer procedures and advanced equipment. Since this method isn’t available in Điện Biên, he voluntarily travels to Hanoi to donate whenever there’s a need. Sometimes, he makes the trip twice a month, spaced just 15 to 17 days apart.

“Donating platelets requires excellent health, a disciplined lifestyle, and a resilient spirit. With our irregular hours and high-intensity training, it’s not easy to maintain the condition needed to donate regularly. But I take great care of my health, eat well, rest properly, and avoid anything that could compromise my fitness, so I’m always ready when someone needs help,” he said with a quiet smile.

No one asks him to do it. He doesn’t wait for official blood drives. As soon as he hears of someone in need of his blood type, he contacts the hospital and arranges to travel, often during holidays or weekends. To him, it’s a special mission, one that calls from within. Since beginning this journey five years ago, he has donated nearly 9,000 milliliters of blood and platelets.

Dr. Trần Thị Lịch of the Điện Biên provincial General Hospital’s Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center remarked: “Cases like his are extremely rare. Donating blood and platelets so frequently, while maintaining excellent physical condition and job performance, is exceptional, even in the medical field. What’s even more inspiring is how his example has encouraged others to donate, not out of duty, but from true inspiration.”

Sowing hope with simple acts

Each drop of blood is not merely a biological substance, it is a lifeline. That belief has deepened within Lieutenant Colonel Dũng’s heart through each moment of seeing a patient’s smile return or the grateful gaze of a loved one. It is also what inspired him to stand by the side of brothers Quàng Việt Hưng (born 2014) and Quàng Việt Hà (born 2015), both battling the inherited blood disorder thalassemia.

“After their father passed away in 2017 and their mother disappeared years earlier, Hưng and Hà were left in the care of their elderly grandparents in a small charity house in Bánh hamlet, Thanh Yên commune. Despite their difficult circumstances, they must travel monthly to the provincial hospital for blood transfusions. Knowing their situation, I helped rally support from donors and volunteers to provide treatment assistance, school supplies, and other necessities, to give them hope and strength,” he explained.

Though modest, these gestures, whether a few medical bills paid or school supplies delivered, have become precious lifelines for the two boys. For them, Lieutenant Colonel Dũng, though not a blood relative, has become a pillar of support in their fight against illness.

At a recent event for the 2025 “Red Journey” campaign, held at the provincial Youth Activity Center, Hưng quietly watched from the audience. As those who had helped him were honored, he whispered with teary eyes: “I wish I could be healthy, so I wouldn’t miss school for hospital visits, and someday I could be helpful to others, like the doctors, the volunteers, and especially Uncle Dũng.”

For Lieutenant Colonel Dũng, such words are the highest reward. Not certificates or medals, but the hope he has planted in young people’s hearts. Because when those fragile dreams are nurtured with kindness, they may grow into strong aspirations, to live with compassion, to share with others, and to never give up.

“I’m a People’s Public Security officer. Serving the mission doesn’t always mean wearing a uniform or holding a weapon. Sometimes, it simply means giving what we have, our strength, our time, or even a part of our own blood, to help someone else live,” he said quietly, as if confiding a truth long held in his heart.