Mr Orgias lost his hand in the attack.

It took the equivalent of 150 blood donations to save his life.

Now Mr Orgias, as an ambassador for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, has made it his mission to generate awareness of the importance of blood donations.

“I have been a sporadic blood donor, here and there, a couple of times; nowhere near enough," he said.

"It used to slip my mind, or I would put if off. Now I realise how important it is. Donated blood saved my life countless times, I would be dead without it – there is no doubt.”

On August 9, Mr Orgias will celebrate the generosity of the 150 donors by running in the 2009 City to Surf.

Most people collect monetary pledges when running for charities but Mr Orgias and his team are collecting pledges to donate blood.

Supporters are asked to visit www.runningonblood.com fill in their details and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service will contact them to make a donation appointment at a donor centre near them.

His campaign is running from July 1 until August 31 with a target of 5,000 blood donations.

All donations made in support of Mr Orgias's campaign will be tallied and tracked on his website.

It's an ambitious target.

But Mr Orgias hopes that by sharing his story and running the race he can inspire others to become donors and help save lives just as his life was saved.

“I have always loved running in the City to Surf, I am ecstatic that I am alive this year to run it again," he said.

''The race for me is a celebration, and a fun way to show how the Australian Red Cross Blood Service has helped me get back on my feet and running again.”

One in three people will need blood or blood products during their lifetime but only one in 30 Australians currently give blood.

During the winter months the number of regular blood donations decreases due winter illnesses among regular donors.

Donors must be fit and healthy to donate blood, so many people unfortunately become ineligible to donate and this can have a serious impact on the blood supply.

To make an appointment phone 131 495 or to pledge to donate and support Mr Orgias's campaign visit www.runningonblood.com