Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
ENERGIZER BUNNY OF BLOOD DONORS
Tredyffrin’s Paul Olson gives his 600th blood donation to the American Red Cross
Paul Olson is like the Energizer Bunny of blood donors, he just keeps giving and giving.
His first donation was as an 18-year-old back in his hometown of Dawson, Minnesota. In June, 2014, it was number 500 and this week he gave his 600th blood donation to the American Red Cross.
In 2011 a high heart rate stopped him from donating, so Olson consulted Dr. Matthew Goldstein from the Lankenau Heart Institute who operated on him, correcting his heart rate to allow him to continue giving.
“I try hard. Many people give up early,” said the 85-year-old Olson, when asked what drives him.
Milestones create publicity to encourage other to give blood, he said.
Olson, A Tredyffrin Township supervisor for 40 years, usually comes to the Red Cross donation
“In this region, Paul is one of the top, top donors. He’s been recognized a number of times as a 24-times-a-year donor.” — Chaz Allen, Red Cross PennJersey Director of Plate and Plasma Production for the East Coast
center on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia with his wife, Andrea; however, this week she was unable to join him. They have been married 57 years and have three children and seven grandchildren. He works in marketing for Ana laboratories in Bell Mawr.
“He’s given so many times scar tissue built up,” said Red Cross staffer Ada Moore as she prepared to give him one of two needles, one in each arm that platelets require. Moore knows him well from her
28 years at the Red Cross and often works with him.
You can donate whole blood every 56 days, however, Olson gives platelets, which can be done every two weeks, however it takes two hours for the donation. Donors usually watch a movie while they sit back in their recliner, each arm connected to the machine which remove the platelets, from their blood before returning it.
Chaz Allen, Red Cross PennJersey Director of Plate and Plasma Production for the East Coast stopped by to ask, “How you doing?”
“Much, much better than I should,” Olson replied.
“God has blessed me. ”
“More hospitals are requesting platelets, they are vital in leukemia and cancer treatments requirements and they only have a five-day shelf life,” Allen said. “By the time they are checked here in our lab that is a three-four day window.”
“In this region, Paul is one of the top, top donors. He’s been recognized a number of times as a 24-times-a-year donor.”
To find a blood location center near you go to http://www.redcrossblood. org/
“I want to get to 700” Olson said. “I’m going to do my darnedest.”