A doctor from Tongji Hospital in central China’s Wuhan has donated a total of 26,900 milliliters of blood over the past 23 years. His good deeds remained a secret among his colleagues until his hospital received an acknowledgement from Wuhan Blood Center (WBC) on June 14, World Blood Donor Day.

The doctor, Zheng Kai, started donating blood in 1994 when he was still a freshman in college. He donated 400 milliliters at the suggestion of a friend. After donating his blood for the second time the following year, Zheng found it hard to stop the practice. So far, he has averaged three donations annually for 23 consecutive years. According to WBC, Zheng has donated the maximum amount every time, though his frequency wasn’t the very highest.

“Sometimes patients die before blood arrives,” Zheng noted, saying that he would never forget those heartbreaking moments. “We tend to neglect the scarcity of blood in cities, but blood is extremely precious in rural China,” he went on.

As a regular donor, Zheng has received awards from blood centers before. Noting that "blood donation requires a healthy body,” Zheng walks 8 kilometers to his office every day. He has even acquired six-pack abs through his daily workouts.

“Blood donation does no harm and even cleans your blood,” Zheng said, expressing hope that more people will donate their blood to those in need.