KUALA LUMPUR: A 61-year-old man became the country's top blood donor after performing more than 600 donations over the last three decades.
In 1992, Liew Chin Yap followed his youngest brother to the Thean Hou Temple in Brickfields to donate blood and has been on a blood donation spree ever since.
The Sentul-born vegetable seller made history when he became the first Malaysian blood donor to have donated for the 600th time on Sept29, 2020.
The Malaysia Book of Records, on Monday, awarded Liew with a certificate for having the "Most Apheresis Blood Donation" and up to last Monday, he had donated blood 632 times.
Despite holding a national record, Liew has been relatively modest about his achievements. Many of his family members, friends as well as customers were unaware that he is the country's top blood donor.
"When I first donated blood 30 years ago, I least expected any recognition for doing this. So, I was overjoyed to receive a recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records.
"Blood is a vital fluid that sustains life. It is something that only one human can give to another. This is what inspired me to donate blood.
"I just felt responsible to do my part to help save lives.
"It is almost like a second hobby to me. If I am healthy in a year, I donate blood more than 20 times throughout the year," he told the New Straits Times.
Liew's passion to donate blood has also motivated him to stay fit. He has been a vegetarian for almost a decade, consumes a high-protein diet and avoids sugary food to maintain his health.
"The National Blood Bank requires apheresis donors to undergo blood tests from time to time. The regular assessments motivate me to keep myself in good shape.
"I have been a vegetarian for over nine years now. My diet primarily consists of protein-rich food such as eggs, tofu and vegetables.
"I also consume food that are rich in iron, such as spinach, to maintain my haemoglobin levels. Otherwise, I could be deferred from donating blood.
"Apheresis donors can have low levels of iron due to frequent loss of blood and require the mineral to make new red blood cells.
"I also avoid foods that contain high amounts of refined sugar to prevent myself from developing diabetes," he said.
Liew grows his own vegetables and sells the fresh produce directly to customers at Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur. As such, his daily routine is nothing short of an exercise regime.
"Due to the nature of my work, I walk more than 10,000 steps every morning," he said.