LINCOLN RESIDENT GARY MYERS HAS DONATED OVER 3,000 UNITS OF BLOOD IN HIS LIFETIME
Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB) honored Lincoln resident Gary Myers on Thursday, October 30, as he surpassed an extraordinary milestone: donating more than 3,000 units of blood, plasma, and platelets over his lifetime. Gary made his latest donation, followed by a celebration at NCBB’s 84th & O Street Donor Center.
Gary began donating whole blood at the age of 19, while in college on the West Coast. A few years later, because of his rare AB+ blood type, he was invited to switch to plasma donations to help patients in greater need. Soon after, he joined a specialized plasma program that allowed him to donate twice weekly, a habit that quickly became a lifelong routine.
His dedication runs deep. Once, during a family vacation, Gary briefly flew home just to keep his plasma appointment. Over the years, his dedication continued to grow. Through a combination of whole blood, plasma, and platelet donations, Gary reached an extraordinary milestone: 3,002 individual units of blood, plasma, and platelets donated, making him one of the most prolific donors in the country.
“Sometimes the impossible is actually possible with the right level of commitment and determination,” Gary said. “I was there for every single donation, and I have the hole in my arm to prove it.”
Those in need include cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, and chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia.
He said he really noticed a difference when someone close to him needed a blood transfusion: His wife.
“My wife developed aplastic anemia, and I got the answer to the question, what’s in it for me? She received 25 units of blood, which kept her alive,” Myers said.
He mentioned he doesn’t think he did anything special or cool; that spending 45 minutes of his time helping someone in need is 45 minutes well spent.
“It was my privilege to provide the blood needed. I’m honored to give those in need another day,” he said.
Continuing to pay it forward, Myers is challenging 9,000 people to donate blood or donate clean water to those in need through his website: lifebloods.org
Visit the link below for news coverage of Gary’s extraordinary story:
Nebraska Community Blood Bank honors Lincoln man as one of the nation’s most dedicated donors
