“I joined the US Army in 1961. It was around that time, ‘someone’ needed blood, and I was available and able to give. I joined nine of my friends, and they became regular blood donors to help that ‘someone’ named John, who turned out to be a hemophiliac. After donating, we stopped by a deli, bought sandwiches and brought it back to our clubhouse where we watched a game and were offered free drinks (because the ‘someone’ we donated for was a fellow club member). It was too alluring!
I moved to Jacksonville in 1988 and most of my prior donations transferred into my new account with The Blood Alliance.
When someone asks me why I give blood, I tell the story of how ‘greed’ keeps me coming back. My 5-year-old grandson at that time asked me why I put money in a Salvation Army kettle. My response was that according to this book I read (the Bible), if you give to charity, you will receive 10-fold returns. So ‘greed’ is good, and I believe I’ve been given 10-fold returns – my wonderful family, life and friends!”