Your Red Cross Update

By Bob Loftis

Madhu Amesur has turned her family’s heartbreaking tragedy into an ongoing gift of life for the Red Cross, globally. In January of 2023, Madhu lost her son, Dilip, to a sudden and devastating health crisis. Dilip was 30, happily married and the devoted father of three little boys. Madhu, in deep grief, continued in her work as a blood donor ambassador at the Contra Costa Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Pleasant Hill, California where she has volunteered since 2006. Madhu fondly remembers the staff at the center who contributed to a fund for Dilip’s children; a community gesture that moved her deeply.  

“Last year, on my son’s first birthday after his passing, I wanted to do something special to honor and remember him. At my blood donor ambassador shift, I got the idea to ask my friends to donate blood and call it “Dilip’s Gift of Life,” said Madhu. “Soon so many people all over the world donated blood; it was such a joy for me to know that after his loss something good could be done to honor him. My mission on earth is to spread awareness for the everyday gift of life, encouraging people to donate blood and volunteer. We want as much awareness in the community as possible. The gift of life is precious, and anyone can give it.” 

Madhu has many loving memories of Dilip and one of her favorites provides a beautiful bloom. When Dilip was around 10 years old, he wanted to give her something that would make her smile. For a Boy Scout project, he dug up tenacious junipers in front of their house over a two-week period, and then planted a rose bush he purchased with his allowance. Now Madhu smiles as she continues to admire those gorgeous yellow flowers.  

In the past year, Madhu has organized blood donations from over 250 relatives, friends, and friends of friends who have heard about her program through word of mouth or on Facebook. The donors come from four continents. She sends her special request for Dilip twice yearly now, and the contributions keep growing. 

In addition to organizing the blood drives, she continues to greet and check in blood donors regularly at the center. Betina N. Perez, Collections Team Supervisor at the Contra Costa Blood Donation Center provides her appreciation for Madhu’s ongoing work: “There are not sufficient words to express our gratitude for Madhu’s dedication in promoting our mission, she is such a bundle of joy and energy! Madhu manages to spare at least a day of her week, being a skilled mentor to incoming new volunteers. She makes sure they learn the best language and style to interact with donors, ensuring personal attention in welcoming and helping donors, answering questions with calm and ease. Madhu is forever a family and a team member to our site and all our donors. We all love and appreciate her.” 

Madhu’s Red Cross involvement started when her then 16-year-old daughter saw an opportunity for a unique Girl Scout project in support of their local center. Madhu assisted and has been serving at the center ever since. Recently, Justin Mueller, Regional Donor Services Executive, donated blood himself and got to see Madhu in action. He notes, “Madhu gave me a huge hug after my donation and told me how appreciative she is to be part of the Contra Costa Blood Donation Center Red Cross family.  She is forever grateful for all the support the staff provided when she needed it most. Madhu, thank you for volunteering with your heart and for taking such wonderful care of our staff and donors!” 

While working full-time at Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Madhu ever expands her Red Cross contributions. She gives blood, assists at the center, and, more recently, helps with Sound the Alarm (STA), a national Red Cross program to install free smoke alarms and help families learn about home fire safety in at-risk communities. She greatly appreciates the Red Cross focus on educating the public in disaster prevention. She canvases before STA events to inform residents about the importance of having a smoke alarm installed at home, a service the Red Cross provides at no charge. 

“I’ve done four STA events so far,” Madhu added, “and this year I was on the planning committee for a mobile park area highly prone to fires, with the majority of homes occupied by seniors or disabled residents. In our April project in Walnut Creek this year, our first installation event impacted 105 homes and 252 residents, with 297 alarms installed.”  

Her dedication to spreading the word is evident even in the clothes she wears, donning Red Cross logos in her daily wardrobe, promoting the need for ongoing blood donations at all types of events, even while shopping. She encourages those she meets with reminders that it only takes less than an hour to donate blood and it save lives.

Just last month, Madhu participated in the Red Cross Earth Day project in Walnut Creek. She gave out information to the community and held CPR demonstrations for people of all ages: they had over 204 trainees that day, and Madhu personally recruited six new donor ambassadors. 

For all her work, Madhu received the US President’s Volunteer Service Red Cross Bronze and Silver Awards for her 100+ volunteer hours in one calendar year. She also works with international students at Diablo Valley College and has recruited more than 60 students as blood donor ambassadors to fulfill community service hours required for their degree.  

Madhu’s commitment to the Red Cross humanitarian cause is fueled by her determination to provide the gift of life for all. Her friends joke that Madhu is really “after their blood, one way or another,” as she encourages those who can’t donate to spread the word and urge others to donate. With her loving memories of Dilip, Madhu shares that she’s “proud to be a strong advocate for my Red Cross family at our Contra Costa Blood Donation Center for over 18 years, with many more to come!”