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Here are some stories from Blood Bank of Alaska
Hero Donors about how
they began donating and why they continue to do so.
I started giving blood in Minnesota at sixteen. There
was a local blood drive in town and I though what the heck...I
just keep coming back. I do have a personal goal, and that is to
give the most blood in the state of Alaska.
I also remember
thinking that my blood might just save someone’s life --
quite a feat for 15 minutes time and a needle in my arm!...After
each donation, I would wear my sticker
with pride, as a badge of honor.
I first started in
1966 when I joined the military. There was a very bad accident
in my training group and they needed
blood badly so as to save a young man’s life. I went to the
person drawing blood, one look at my veins and he or she said I
was a natural...A week later the injured GI was back in training...I
figured if it was that easy and painless to help another person
live I should continue the practice...I have donated in 8 or 9
states, in Japan, Korea, Okinawa, Germany, Turkey, Puerto Rico,
and Columbia. I feel so committed that I prompted my daughter to
start at 18, she is almost 22 and has donated a gallon so far.
I became a deputy sheriff in south Florida and whenever emergencies
came up...the call for immediate donors came out on
our police radios and we would be among the first to respond...I
will soon reach 12 gallons, and, if God wills, will continue to
do so.
Richard Hall: It was the late 60s and people did all sorts of things
for humanitarian reasons. It was also easy because there were blood
drives at the colleges I attended. And as a college student I appreciated
the free cookies and juice...Now, over 20 years later, it is part
of my routine...it’s just the right thing to do.
Giving blood costs a little bit of my time but that is relatively
unimportant considering what blood means to the people
who need it. It is an easy way for me to make a difference and
it is one way for all of us to say who we are as a community. Thank
you to the people and organizations that have donated equipment
and have seen that the nice, comfortable existing facility was
built.
I started donating blood
back in Minnesota. The first time I gave I was 18; I went with
my dad. He was a regular
donor
(until) high blood pressure made him stop. In 1998 my dad had a
heart attack and had to have open heart surgery. I had donated
a few days before it happened. I realized if I, and the many others
who donate, hadn’t...he would not have been able to have
surgery. When people find out I have now donated 14 gallons, they
ask me, “Why do you donate?” My simple answer is, “Because
I can.”
In the Air
Force, at that time, they would try to encourage people to donate
by giving them a half
day off after
they donated. That was a nice thing, but the juice and cookies
and sense of satisfaction were all I needed. It was a special
day for me when I got my one-gallon pin. I guess it was then that
my
habit started...Each time I completed another gallon there has
automatically been another gallon goal to attain. Now it is a
contest between myself and time.
The Blood Bank of Alaska is looking for
stories and thoughts from Alaskan blood donors telling how you
began donating, and why you
continue to do so.
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