Build from love. Born from loss.

Wi mami, Helen Mfon, bin de go through chemotherapy fo Yaoundé. Di treatment bin de take plenty from i body, and i hemoglobin and hematocrit numbers drop reach dangerous low levels. I need blood transfusion urgently.

Di hospital no get blood. So dem do di same ting we hospital dem fo ol Cameroon de do ebri single day: dem tell di family mek dem go find one donor.

Wi papa and wi sista start to mek call dem. Dem send messages through family group chats, reach out to relatives, and ask who fit kam to di hospital, do test, and see if dem get di right blood group. One family member turn out compatible and bin ready to donate.

But di question we stay fo wi mind na: weti if?

Weti if nobody fo wi family get di right blood type? Weti if nobody fit kam? Weti if di answer na silence wen wi mami need am pass?

Dat question neva leave wi. I stay fo di back of wi mind through ebri conversation, ebri phone call between Yaoundé, Germany, and di United States. Wi keep coming back to di same realization: dis system don break, and families de carry one load we no suppose be dem own to carry.

Caroline na former Registered Nurse we de stay fo di United States. Emmanuel na Software (Robotics) Engineer we de stay fo Germany. Wi two don see wit wi own eye aw advanced healthcare systems de handle blood supply. Blood transfusions na life-saving interventions we de happen ebri day fo hospital dem fo ol di world, smoothly, because di infrastructure exist to mek am smooth. Fo Cameroon, dat infrastructure neva exist yet.

Fo Cameroon, wen yu loved one need blood, yu become di blood bank. Yu become di logistics coordinator. Yu become di recruiter, di screener, di transporter. Ol dis time yu heart de break.

Dat load no suppose fall on patient i family. Hospital dem mos get di infrastructure to mek blood donation easy, to organize blood drives, and to mek sure se blood bank dem always get enough supply fo emergencies.

DashBlood na dat infrastructure.

Wi de build DashBlood to honour wi mami, Helen Mfon, and fo ebri family fo Cameroon we dem don ever tell, “Go find one donor.” No family mos carry dat weight. No more.