When Bill Pooley arrived at the Bradenton OneBlood donor center for his biweekly blood platelet donation in March, he was greeted by balloons, a cake and a TV camera to record the hoopla. The reason? After 39 years of donating blood, Pooley joined a very exclusive club of 100-gallon donors—one of fewer than 150 100-gallon donors in Florida out of millions of donors since World War II, according to OneBlood spokesman Daniel Eberts. “I have no idea how many people I’ve helped after all these years, but I’m sure it’s many,” says Pooley, 62, who has been blind since 33 due to hereditary glaucoma.

Read Full Article