Mick Walker just likes to help people.
That’s why Thursday morning, the 70-year-old Mount Brydges man made a roughly 30-minute drive into London, for his 1,000th donation at the Canadian Blood Services clinic on Wharncliffe Road.
“People say, ‘oh you should be really proud,'” he explained, a needle in his left arm drawing blood into a centrifuge in a process called plasmapheresis, which collects plasma and returns red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets back to the body.
“I’m happy about it. But I don’t look at is as being proud… to me, it’s helping my fellow man, or woman, or child, and I enjoy the thought of that.”
A donor can give whole blood every 56 days, but Walker is able to donate every six because he usually gives plasma, used for burn patients, cancer treatment, bleeding disorders, liver diseases and to create some kinds of medication.
The first time Walker went to a clinic, he was around 24-years-old. He credits his wife, who was already a donor at the time and who is now nearing her own 1,000th donation, for urging him to donate roughly seven years after a nearly fatal incident involving a tractor.
“The tractor decided it was going to go driving itself,” he said.
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According to Canadian Blood Services Territory Manager Kristen Ungar, one donor gives one unit, and the clinic’s weekly whole blood quota is 260 units.
“That’s 260 donors. Plus we need more of those to schedule because some of those might be ineligible to donate when they come in. So we’re looking at over 300, 350 people every week.”
After being shipped to a Brampton lab for processing and screening, Ungar said most of the blood comes back to London depending on orders submitted by other hospitals.
READ MORE: Canadian Blood Services calling for more donations
To help meet that demand, Walker tries to make the trip every Monday morning.
“I’m going to be quite honest. There’s Monday mornings where I don’t feel like coming in, but I do it anyways.”
“As long as my health holds up, I’m planning on donating until they take me out the door feet first,” he laughed.
The Canadian Blood Services is always urging people to donate blood. Check out their website to book an appointment.
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