Julian Buss
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
For more than four decades, what began as a simple act among friends turned into a powerful, life-saving commitment for Julian Buss, a man whose 300 blood donations have quietly helped save countless lives.
Standing before a gathering at the National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) Headquarters in Harare, Buss admitted it was no small moment.
“It’s a bit of a big one standing out here and talking to all of you about this,” he said, reflecting on a journey that started in 1977.
Back then, it was not about milestones or recognition. It was simply a group decision. Buss recalls how he and about six colleagues from his office agreed to donate blood together. And among them was a seasoned donor who had already reached around 200 donations, a figure that inspired the group to keep going.
They donated every three months at first, but even as the group dispersed, he continued steadily, faithfully, turning a shared activity into a personal mission.
Years later, a shift to platelet donation changed everything. Unlike whole blood donation, which is typically done quarterly, platelet donation allowed him to give every month. That transition, he says, played a major role in helping him reach the remarkable 300 mark.
The journey, however, was not without its demands.
“It is commitment,” Buss said, describing the discipline required over the years. Platelet donation sessions, in particular, could take up to an hour and a half each time. But for him, it became part of life, time set aside without hesitation. He said the habit grows on you.
“It doesn’t cost you anything except a little bit of your time to come and donate. And the more regular you become, the more I think you get used to it,” he said. Missing a session, he added, begins to feel unsettling.
He had started donating at the age of 25 and continued faithfully until regulations required him to stop at 70 in July 2022.
He shared that, had it not been for the age limit, he could have reached well beyond 300 donations, possibly 340 or even 345 by now.
Still, his focus remains on encouraging others.
“I would just like to say to all the other donors who are out there, keep going, keep going,” he urged. “We’re all here and we don’t know where our blood goes. We just know it goes to people who need it.”
For Buss, the impact has never been about recognition or knowing who benefits. It is about doing what one can.
“It’s a commitment to try and help and to do what you can, you are just there, you are trying. “Do your bit. And that’s it,” he said.
NBSZ Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Marowa
His milestone has not gone unnoticed, National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Marowa described the achievement as a powerful symbol of national commitment.
She noted that such milestones show that Zimbabwe has people dedicated to sustaining the blood donation programme. More importantly, she said, it gives young donors something to aspire to, while helping build a reliable and safe blood supply.
Marowa emphasized that regular donation is key to reducing shortages and ensuring safety, adding that reaching 300 donations takes time, discipline and a consistent lifestyle.
“A healthy nation preserves the wealth of the nation,” she said, adding that the organisation takes pride in celebrating such milestones as it works to strengthen the country’s health system.
“It also means that our young blood donors have something to aspire to. What it also means is that when we have advocates for the blood donation program, we can build a sustainable national blood program where shortages become minimal, where we also build a safe blood supply built on a regular blood donation.
“It takes time, it takes commitment to donate blood 300 times. It’s encouragement to our young donors, to our adult donors, and every donor, male and female alike, to say such a lifestyle is possible.
“For National Blood Service Zimbabwe, it also gives us the confidence that we are doing something good for the nation as we build the nation and also believe in it.
“A healthy nation preserves the wealth of the nation. So we are very happy to be celebrating this milestone,” said Marowa.
Blood Supply Executive at NBSZ, Menard Mutenherwa also paid tribute to Buss, describing his journey as one marked by compassion and dedication.
He highlighted that every donor, whether they have given once or many times, forms part of a life-saving chain that sustains the nation’s health delivery system.
Mutenherwa said donors play a crucial role in ensuring mothers deliver safely, children recover from illness, and accident victims get a second chance at life. In that sense, he described them as heroes in their own right.
