Dr. Ashish Maskay was among Magnolia Memorial Award

“Although I am not Chinese, I have a warm ‘Chinese heart’.”   ——Dr. Ashish Maskay

On 16 September, the Magnolia Memorial Award 2020 ceremony was held in Shanghai. This year, 50 outstanding foreigners from 19 countries were honored. Dr. Ashish Maskay, surgeon at Shanghai United Family Hospital, and leader of Shanghai Blood Center’s foreign volunteer team, was among those honored.

Established in 1989 by the Shanghai Municipal Government, the Magnolia Award is one of a series of awards recognizing Shanghai’s foreign residents. It aims to encourage foreign nationals who have made outstanding contributions to Shanghai’s economic growth, social development and foreign exchanges. So far, 1,266 foreigners have been honored. Dr. Maskay has been advancing the cause for voluntary blood donations in Shanghai for many years, actively recruiting like-minded foreign friends to donate their blood.

Ashish Maskay is a doctor from Nepal who has lived in Shanghai for more than sixteen years. As an excellent surgeon, he deeply understands the importance of blood for patients. So, in his spare time, he not only actively participates in blood donations, but has founded the Shanghai Blood Center foreign volunteer service, Bloodline. Under his mobilization and recruitment, many foreign friends living in Shanghai have extended their arms to donate blood regardless of national boundaries, race, ethnicity and language, sharing the true meaning of life with the people living in this city together.

Ashish Maskay was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, to a family of doctors. When he was very young, he saw that his father, a pulmonary doctor, often exempted medical expenses from the poor. What he heard and saw as a child planted the seeds of kindness in his heart. When he was seven, he went to an all-boys’ boarding school. The school not only taught students to observe strict discipline, but also sent them to help villagers in nearby villages every week, encouraging them to form healthy values, with a balanced world view and outlook on life. He later volunteered at a children’s hospital where he first donated his blood for patients in need. Upon growing up, he decided to be a doctor like his father. Helping others had become his fundamental value in life, and participating in voluntary blood donations became one of the most impactful ways for him to help others.

After coming to study and work in Shanghai, Dr. Maskay found that many foreign friends were willing to donate blood, but they did not understand the blood donation situation in China. So, he communicated closely with the Shanghai Blood Center and actively organized foreign participation in voluntary blood donations, eventually creating Bloodline, which has since become a special team in the volunteer corps.

Bloodline created a WeChat public account, which is personally managed by Dr. Maskay. The doctor worked his way through every stage of the growth process, picking up a paintbrush and making posters and publicity materials. Under his efforts and leadership, more and more like-minded foreign friends joined Bloodline’s volunteer team, establishing more than 10 WeChat groups to organize blood drives, mobile blood donation vehicles and related activities in Shanghai.

Dr. Maskay repays the city and community he loves with his blood, building a bridge of life across national borders, and silently dedicating the gift of life to patients in need of blood in Shanghai. Inspired by him, his wife and daughter also joined in. The doctor’s four-and-a-half year old daughter is already a Bloodline member, coming together with other children to cheer on their “hot-blooded parents”.

To spread the word among foreigners and encourage them to donate blood, Dr. Maskay planned numerous activities. This has included fun cosplay events at Halloween with makeup, Christmas event with singing and dancing, children with leukemia event with gifts for children with leukemia, special recruitment for World Blood Donor Day, and more. Each event has a different theme and a rich network, turning blood donation into a more interesting and memorable activity.

The doctor’s philosophy of life is simple: “Social service should be a part of our daily life.” His contribution to public welfare gives his life more meaning. “Philanthropy enriches my soul,” he says. With the efforts of Dr. Maskay and his partners, Bloodline’s influence has grown, attracting the attention of many foreign enterprises in Shanghai. Businesses have become partners, jointly helping the non-profit’s blood donation cause. He is proud of their public service, as he regards Shanghai as his second hometown and loves it deeply.

In the face of the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic, families drastically cut down their outdoor activities. Dr. Maskay did not cease his acts of kindness while even at home during the epidemic period.  He photographed illustrative pictures of precautions and uploaded them online, reminding people to wash their hands and wear masks while not ceasing to donate blood. This not only attracted more friends on WeChat, but led to his being interviewed by a number of media outlets.

As people stayed home during the epidemic, blood donations declined sharply. Dr. Maskay initiated a new blood donation drive among like-minded foreign friends in Shanghai, forming a WeChat group named “Jiayou WUHAN” (“WUHAN, Come On”). The publicity grew in momentum and the group has become the main recruitment channel for foreign nationals in Shanghai to donate blood during the epidemic.

Shanghai United Family Hospital and Shanghai Blood Center have been cooperating and jointly organizing blood donation activities since 2008. Over the years, Shanghai United Family Hospital staff, the general public and foreign volunteers have actively engaged in all kinds of blood donation and public welfare undertakings, putting into practice the doctor’s benevolent oath to “save the dying and heal the wounded”. These actions have played a leading role in establishing a positive social image of medical staff while contributing to Shanghai’s own image as a warm and caring city.