Roman donates 5 gallons of blood
Friendly competition leads William Summer to “give his all” four times over.
What started out as a friendly competition between coworkers turned into a habit for one man that may have saved dozens of lives.
Since 2001, Roman William Summer has donated almost five gallons of blood — 38 pints — to Blood Assurance on Shorter Avenue. With about 10 pints of blood in the human body, that’s the equivalent of giving his all nearly four times over.
“I donate because someone might need it,” Summer said.
His habit started years ago, when a Blood Assurance bus came to Hardy Realty to host an employee blood drive. Summer said he and his coworker Jimmy Kelley challenged each other to see who could donate the most blood.
Since then, Summer has donated a pint of blood to Blood Assurance about every 59 days, which is the required wait- time between donations.
Blood Assurance team leader Jennifer Hunt said Thursday he’s only two pints away from hitting 40, the number of pints in five gallons.
“He is a wonderful ambassador for Blood Assurance, always encouraging friends and coworkers to donate too,”
she said in a release.
The organization says each pint of blood has the potential to save three lives.
“If I donate, hopefully I’ll never need it. I think it creates good karma for me,” Summer said.
Summer said when he had open-heart surgery in 1956, his father had to stay at the hospital in case he needed a transfusion.
“When I donate, I hope they don’t have to do that for anyone else,” he said.
Summer said he’s winning the competition with Kelley, which is still ongoing, and he hopes his
story will encourage others to donate blood.
“I don’t know if he’ll ever beat me because I donate regularly, but he says he’ll catch up to me one day,” Summer said.
The Blood Assurance center at 166 Shorter Ave. is open Monday through Friday from 8 a. m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To donate blood, people must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Before donating, people are asked to drink plenty of water, avoid caffeine and eat a meal rich in protein.