'I never imagined a blood donation would save me'

In 1979, David Rose was living life to the fullest and could never have imagined he would soon stare death in the face.

A motorcycle crash that year led to him losing part of his leg - but it was a vital blood transfusion that saved his life.

The now 68-year-old who lives in Mellis near Eye, Suffolk, but is originally from Wivenhoe in Essex, donates his own blood and describes it as a "privilege".

In December he successfully made his 100th donation and is urging others to do the same during National Blood Week.

Mr Rose was an "enthusiastic" motorcyclist in the 70s before he decided to "take his risks on the race track rather than the road".

In 1976 in order to gain his racing licence, a medical examination was needed and he needed to know his blood type.

After attending a blood donation session to find out this information, he also decided to start donating his blood.

However three years later he said he did not expect to need to be given blood himself.

"Sometimes you hear the expression someone has experienced life changing injuries - I know what that means because my life changed in a split second in September 1979," he added.

While commuting to work in east London from Hornchurch on his motorcycle, on a route he said he had done "hundreds of times", he encountered a car driving on the wrong side of the road around a sharp corner.

"I had a split second to avoid a head on collision that almost certainly would have been fatal," he explained.

"I tried to swerve into the kerb to get out of the way but in the millisecond I had all I did was expose the right side of my body on the motorcycle.

"The car smashed into my right leg - it was partially severed and I was lying in the road effectively bleeding out."

Mr Rose said as mobile phones were not about at this time and the other driver was in shock, there was no quick way to alert the emergency services.

Fortunately luck was on his side and a police car happened to stumble on the collision.

The two officers were quick to react, helping to stop Mr Rose's bleeding with a belt before ambulance crews arrived and he was taken to the former East Ham Memorial Hospital in London.

"I was in intensive care and they managed to save my life that evening by means of blood units to make up for what I had lost," Mr Rose continued.

"I was super fit at the time and I've since been advised that was probably why I survived the trauma of the accident.

"Unfortunately I contracted a gangrene infection in the area of the injury that they were trying to sort out so I had to have a second operation.

"That in effect took away what was left of my knee and left me as I am today - an above knee amputee on my right side.

"That was a major operation that required units of blood to assist me during that procedure."

While Mr Rose had to adjust to life as an amputee, he did continue to donate his blood once he was ready.

Having just completed 100 donations, he is encouraging others to do the same.

"Someone told me 100 donations means that you've saved between 200 and 300 lives, it's a privilege," he explained.

"We have National Blood Week and one of the things that I'm always keen to raise awareness for is that on average only about 2% of people in the UK who are eligible to donate blood actually give a donation.

"It's a very rare privilege that you can engage in a voluntary activity that will directly save people's lives.

"It is the true gift of life - our blood that courses through all our veins, that's what keeps us alive."

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