China’s ‘blood donor king’, known for his 313 donations, seeks public help after stroke

A man in southwestern China, affectionately dubbed the “blood donation king” for his remarkable achievement of donating blood over 300 times in the past two decades, is now seeking public financial support after suffering a stroke.

Yang Xiuwei, 59, a resident of Chengdu in Sichuan province, suddenly experienced dizziness and collapsed while visiting a relative at the end of January, as reported by the news portal The Cover.

His wife, Xie Suhua, quickly took him to a major hospital in the city, where Yang was diagnosed with a cerebral infarction.

“A narrowing occurred in the cerebelli, vermis, and a primary blood vessel in his brain. The stroke happened in an acute manner,” a doctor stated. “He should be hospitalised for observation for 10 to 14 days.”

Xie explained that Yang works as a cleaner, while she does not have stable employment. Together, they earn 3,000 yuan (US$410) per month, relying on Yang’s mother, who is in her 90s, to subsidise their rent from her pension.

Their son is a migrant worker in another city and did not return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year with them.