Jim McDonald first began donating blood in the 1980s, when he was living in Texas and serving in the United States Army. At the time, the local hospital had a program where donors could apply the value of a donated unit of blood to their or another patient’s hospital bills. Jim knew a woman who was having a baby and didn’t have insurance, so he encouraged his friends to donate in her name and with her bills.

He’s been donating blood ever since and is now up to nearly 100 pints, or approximately 11 gallons. Jim also understands better than most the importance of blood donors. In 2022, he was involved in a terrible car accident that nearly killed him. At the hospital, he received three units of blood to replace what he’d lost. “I know I got blood because somebody else donated,” he says. “That really brings it home and makes it personal.”

These days, Jim continues to donate when he’s able and encourages others to do the same. “It’s a really easy thing to do; an hour every couple of months,” he says. “Now that I’ve had to receive blood myself, I’d say that what goes around, comes around. If you need it, where’s it going to come from if people don’t donate?”

People need people, make a difference in someone’s life by donating blood.

We must rely on each other for the gift of blood, and patients in your community rely on the generosity of Versiti’s blood donors to help. Please consider scheduling an appointment to donate. If this is your first time, donating blood is quick, easy and relatively painless. And, it is a great way to give back and help patients in your community.