Donation No. 24
On September 20, 2023 (Wednesday), at the building of the Regional Center for Transfusion Hematology – Varna (Blood Center), located in the courtyard of St. Anna University Hospital – Varna, 100 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., Vladislav Nikolov, Chairman of the “I Believe and Help” Association, officially donated to Dr. Zhanina Yordanova, Director of the RCTH – Varna, the first-ever specialized and fully equipped mobile blood donation unit in Bulgaria, branded “I Believe and Help.” The vehicle was blessed in person by Metropolitan Yoan of Varna and Veliki Preslav, who prayed for the health of all medical professionals and patients, and for the successful, safe use of the mobile unit.
This first-of-its-kind mobile blood donation unit in Bulgaria was purchased with funds raised through recycled plastic bottle caps, tens of thousands of coins, and generous financial donations from various companies, corporations, private organizations, and individual donors. Support also came from the daily purchase of cause-branded products from retail outlets and online platforms — such as “Water with a cause”, “Pretzels with a cause”, “Noodles with a cause”, “Children’s Pretzels with a cause”, “Bread with a cause”, and many more items proudly carrying the “I Believe and Help” logo.
The first mobile blood donation unit in Bulgaria, branded “I Believe and Help,” was custom-designed and built following dozens of meetings, inspections, technical drawings, and consultations with blood donation specialists. The project was developed in collaboration with one of the world’s leading companies for specialized vehicle conversions — the Turkish-based Emergency Mobile Systems (EMS) Inc., and their official representatives in Bulgaria, Emergency Mobile Systems Ltd.
Inside the mobile unit, there are two large, comfortable blood donation chairs, each with adjustable height and reclining functionality, allowing for both seated and lying positions, depending on the donor’s needs. The purpose of the specialized mobile blood donation unit is to provide the team from the Regional Center for Transfusion Hematology – Varna with the freedom and capability to travel to numerous cities, towns, institutions, public offices, schools, factories, and private companies. The goal is to promote and encourage voluntary blood donation throughout Bulgaria, in response to the critical shortage of blood supplies in hospitals nationwide.