Bratt resident Gary Goodwin joined the 100 Gallon Donor Club Thursday at the OneBlood center on Nine Mile Road.
Goodwin, an Army veteran, kept donating platelets after he moved from Tampa to Bratt, where he and his wife have horses, volunteer with the Escambia Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse, and rescue abused German Shepard dogs.
At age 19, Goodwin started donating blood only occasionally after he joined the Army in 1972. But in 1998, he began helping cancer patients by donating platelets after a co-worker’s son was diagnosed with leukemia and needed platelet transfusions. He continues to pay it forward, having also received blood transfusions in the past for internal bleeding.
Less than 200 Florida blood donors have reached the 100 gallon milestone, according to OneBlood.
And what about all those blood donor t-shirts? Gary’s wife Lori makes quilts out of them.
Generally, healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. All donors receive a wellness checkup including blood pressure, temperature, iron count, pulse and cholesterol screening, and a gift.
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