More than 50 years ago, at the age of 22, Marc A. Satalof donated his first pint of blood at the Hospital of Pennsylvania (HUP) to ensure that his mother, who was going in for surgery, would have blood if she needed any. She didn’t (and is still thriving at age 101), but Satalof would go on to donate many more pints after that—279 more.
On Nov. 15, 2023, Satalof, now 76, returned to Penn Medicine to give his 280th and final pint, marking 35 gallons of blood donated over his adult life.
When the longtime donor decided this would be his last, his primary care physician Kristin G. Christensen, MD, regional medical director of Penn Primary Care, based at Penn Medicine Radnor, sought to recognize Satalof and the impact of his more than five decades of consistent giving.
“Mr. Satalof is a kind and generous soul who has helped to save many lives through his 54 years of blood donation,” Christensen said. “I am humbled by his dedication to serving his community in this way. I am grateful that he is receiving recognition for his great act of service, and I am hopeful that his story will inspire others to donate and carry on his mission after he ‘retires.’”
Satalof said he took great pride in knowing that his many donations have potentially helped up to 840 people over the years. One pint of whole blood can be separated into three different parts—one unit of red blood cells, one unit of plasma, and one unit of platelets—for up to three different patients. Satalof agreed to share his story in hopes that it might motivate others to consider donating, in which case he will have accomplished “yet another really great thing.”
“If, God forbid, someone needs blood, if they’re transported to a hospital because of a car accident or a surgical procedure, and they need blood, that blood needs to be there for them or they’ll die, and that’s determined by people continuing to donate blood,” he said.
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