One sibling rivalry has saved more than 400 lives, and that number is still rising.
Marlis Gunderson of St. Albert was recognized earlier this year for reaching her milestone blood donation. Her winning streak began back in the late 1970s when she was in university, learning to become a nurse.
“Essentially, I first started because I’m a little bit competitive and my brother Les had already started donating. I thought, ‘You know what … now’s the time’,” she said.
Because of her profession, she soon saw firsthand how much blood was actually being used in the hospital. In short, it was a lot.
“I thought, ‘It’s not just about a competition. It’s about a matter of life and death for a lot of people’.”
Liz James, the local territory manager for Canadian Blood Services, said that the Sturgeon Community Hospital required 1,556 units of whole blood last year alone. That isn’t even taking into account other blood products including plasma and platelets.
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