A CHILDHOOD promise to her dad has been fulfilled after a Dunbar mum reached a blood-donating milestone.

Fiona Shearlaw vowed she would make 50 donations to the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) after her dad, Andrew Smith, known as Kelly, suffered a serious injury at his work at the Dunbar cement plant almost 50 years ago.

Kind-hearted Fiona was just a youngster at the time of the accident in 1971 but recalls going to visit her dad in Bangour Hospital, near Dechmont, West Lothian.

She said: “He was in Bangour for nine months and they had to take a skin graft and rebuild the back of his eye.

“He lost his left eyelid and he was in for nine months.

“I was only four at the time and remember going to visit him.

“I remember sitting on his knee and he told me that he needed seven pints of blood.

“I can honestly remember saying ‘when I’m a big girl, I’m going to give blood’.

“When I did the first donation, I thought it would be my goal to get to 50. I always hoped my dad would be here to see me do it and he is 81 years old.”

The SNBTS visited Dunbar Grammar School on April 23.

However, it was far from smooth sailing for Fiona, who works as a supply classroom assistant throughout the county.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak meant members of the public were unable to simply turn up on the day and instead had to make an appointment to give blood.

Unfortunately for Fiona, of the town’s Poplar Street, the session was fully booked.

She said: “When I phoned and was told there were no appointments left I was absolutely devastated.

“I was asked if there was any chance I could come up to Edinburgh and give blood and I was given an appointment for the Saturday at 2pm.

“I said we were not supposed to travel but was told it would be fine because it is classed as an essential journey.

“My husband was working and going to be using the car so I put it out on Dunbar Online to ask if there was any chance I could get an appointment in Dunbar.

“When my friend contacted me, I could not believe it.

“I was like a kid waking up on Christmas morning.

“I know it sounds crazy – it is only a badge – but all my life, since I was four years old, I have wanted to help.

“When I was 40, I lost my own son.

“There was nothing anybody’s blood could have done, he was killed instantly, but this is my way of saying thank you.

“If I can stop one family from going through what I went through then it means everything to me.”

Fiona, 53, was presented with her gold badge on the evening and has vowed to keep on donating whenever she can.