How Many Lives Have You Saved?

[Bruce Wrenn]

Got to thinking earlier this evening about the blood donations I have made over the years. Almost ten gallons, with each gallon being 8 pints, for a total of 78 pints. This means I have saved, or help save 78 people whom I will never meet. Save a life, donate blood! When you are gone, let them say the world was a better place because you were here, not because you are gone.

[Lee Schierer]

I had given close to 20 gallons before I had to stop due to cancer. That would be somewhere near 160 pints

[Jay Aubuchon]

I started giving blood in 2003, rather late in life. I have a lot of trouble with anything medical, particularly needles. For example, I have to lie down to get a shot. For another, more embarrassing example, I have sometimes had to quickly lie down on my vet’s exam room floor to avoid fainting when my cat was getting a shot.

In 2003 it got personal, with both my brother and a coworker needing blood during treatment for cancer. I have been giving regularly since then, although I missed about three years due to serious illnesses of my own. I am now up to 6½ gallons.

[Jerry Thompson]

I had hepatitis A when I was four. So I can't donate blood. I am an RN and probably have saved few.

[Bruce Page]

I was upwards of 10 gallons when I retired but I haven't given blood since. I should change that.

Edit: According to the American Red Cross I'm to old to give blood. Oh well...

[Bruce Koch]

I wish say thanks to all that have donated. My wife has leukemia and has received over a dozen pints this summer. Without this blood and platelets she would have died. She will need many more this year. Thanks again

[Jay Aubuchon]

The same is true for my teen-age great-nephew, who recently completed 3 1/2 years of treatment for leukemia. He never would have survived his treatment without transfusions.

[John Ziebron]

I'm only at 57 pints, but I didn't start until I was in my 50s. I'm 67 and still donating.

Note to Bruce - Last year I asked if there was an age limit for donating. The response was that as long as you're in good health there is no age limit.

[paul cottingham]

Don't give blood much. But I have pulled people out of rips at beaches where they weren't marked. Does that count?

[John Terefenko]

Well over 120 pints of blood and being I have AB- that is pretty rare. Will continue as long as I can.

[Jerry Bruette]

I prefer to give the double reds. Red Cross says they get more use from the doubles, I only wish I could give them more than 3 times a year.

Tried to sign up for bone marrow donations but they wouldn't accept me because of my sleep apnea.

[Jason Roehl]

I use to give only once in a great while because I would forget and the donation center was out of the way. Now, their mobile unit shows up across the street every couple months, so I've been giving more regularly over the last year. I'm only up to 2 gallons lifetime, but I (in theory) have a lot of years ahead of me in which to donate.

[Brent Cutshall]

I haven't donated blood but I did save my brother and some other kid from drowning. I had spinal surgery, they went in and straightened out some curves in my back and screwed two titanium rods in there, I needed a lot of blood so I'm thankful to those who give blood and will be doing the same soon.

[Chris Damm]

They don't want my blood but in my youth I was a lifeguard and saved at least 2 swimmers.

[Larry Frank]

A contractor was loading his dozer on his lowboy trailer which was hooked to a dump truck. This was sitting on a hill. As he got it up on the lowboy, it knocked the truck out of gear and was rolling backwards quickly downhill toward a deep ditch. I ran and caught up with the truck, got in and stopped it just short of the ditch.

We were both pretty shaken and just stood there with no words. This was when I was much younger and faster. Now, I probably could not have done that.

[Sam Force]

have given a couple gallons of blood in my younger days, pulled a coworker from a machine that only had his leg pinched by 900 lbs of pressure so no life saved there but he was very greatful. My profession is mosquito abatement, and I have killed millions of those creatures so hopefully kept someone from getting WNV, does that count at all?

[James Gunning]

I gave sporadically, but for the bulk of my working life as an airline pilot we were strongly encouraged not to give blood. The recovery time was deemed too long after giving to work with our flying schedules. However, I did save a few lives as the pilot of an Army Blackhawk medevac helicopter.

[Erik Loza]

My late grandfather gave blood religiously. I forget exactly how the Red Cross "rewards" you for that; some type of pins or badges? Anyhow, Grandpa B. basically maxed out what he could give and had a slew of those things.

I've given on and off but could do more. Thanks for putting this in the spotlight.

Erik

[Wade Lippman]

I saved my climbing partner's life once. We were doing a route that required a weird rope setting, and I noticed he had tied in improperly and would have fallen 160' when he descended. But he saved my life once though quick thinking, so we are even.

I donate about once a year. I really really hate it; don't know why.

[Wade Lippman]

I gave sporadically, but for the bulk of my working life as an airline pilot we were strongly encouraged not to give blood. The recovery time was deemed too long after giving to work with our flying schedules..

Years ago I was going to play squash with a Hematologist 2 hours after giving blood. He doubted my game would be very good, but that it was perfectly safe. I postponed.

[Garth Almgren]

Well over 120 pints of blood and being I have AB- that is pretty rare. Will continue as long as I can.
I too have AB- blood, and have one or two more whole blood donations before I get my 3 gallon pin. Got a long way to go to get to 120 pints!


A little more directly, I've saved the lives of two people using the Heimlich maneuver.

[Ted Calver]

I have a couple of gallon pins in my keepsake box from the early years, but last time I tried to donate the Red Cross would not take donations from people who had lived in Europe and eaten British beef because of mad cow disease. Now I'm too old.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I just started again. When I came home from Vietnam I was told not to donate because of a case of Malaria. Fast forward 47 years and now the Red Cross tells me it is OK. I have no idea what has changed though I haven't had a relapse in almost 40 years. Boy is the interview long now a days.

[jared herbert]

I pulled a young boy out of the water, under a dock. He was going down for the third time and would have drowned if I hadn't happened along at just the right time. It happened 27 years ago and I still think about it every time that I drive by the place where it happened.