Rakesh Kumar

Rakesh Kumar considers donating plasma regularly to be a small way to repay the kindness he has received since coming to Canada on a student visa in 2019.

“This gives me inner peace,” Rakesh says. “And then good things happen to me and I’m motivated to donate again.”

Born in India, Rakesh studies at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont. He wanted to donate whole blood but he is unfortunately ineligible. He learned that he was eligible to donate plasma, however, although that would require travelling to London, about two hours away. For the last two years, he’s donated regularly, paying for each trip out of what he earns from a part-time job. After graduating, Rakesh plans to work in Canada for a couple of years before returning to India. He’s determined to share his good fortune, as well as the plasma his body produces.

“It’s the cycle of life,” he says. “If you do good, you will receive good.”