‘Just keeping it between God and me’

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A Lynchburg man who has been donating blood regularly since he was 17 years old recently gave his 100th donation, saying he feels it’s a good way to help those in need while staying anonymous.

Terry Dean said he began donating blood when he was a 17-year-old living in Pennsylvania, and has stuck with it ever since.

“It seemed like a good way to help others who are in real need,” he said. “I donated blood regularly through the Red Cross [in Pennsylvania], and continued through my time in the Air Force, when I was stationed in South Carolina. When I finally settled in Ohio, it was real easy to just get into a routine.”

Dean, who gives blood three times per year on average, reached the 100-donation milestone recently at a Community Blood Center blood drive at the Wilmington Eagles Lodge, where he frequently donates.

“It still seems like a great way to help others through an anonymous act of kindness,” he said. “Just keeping it between God and me.”

As an O-positive donor, Dean is a universal donor for all Rh-positive blood types.

Lynchburg is on the southern edge of Community Blood Center’s 15-county jurisdiction.

CBC is an independent, non-profit organization that provides blood products to 25 hospitals and health centers within a 15-county service area in the Miami (Ohio) and Whitewater (Indiana) Valleys.

More information about blood donation and the CBC can be found at www.givingblood.org.

Blood donors are required to provide a photo ID that includes their full name.

Past CBC donors are also asked to bring their CBC donor ID card.

Donors must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds or more depending on height; be in good physical health; and be at least 17 years of age, or 16 years old with parental consent. A release form is available at www.givingblood.org or at any CBC branch or blood drive location.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changes blood donor eligibility guidelines periodically. Individuals with eligibility questions are invited to email [email protected] or call 1-800-388-GIVE.

Information for this report came from the Community Blood Center.

Lynchburg resident Terry Dean recently donated blood for the 100th time.
http://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2017/09/web1_T_Dean_p_f.jpgLynchburg resident Terry Dean recently donated blood for the 100th time. Courtesy photo
Dean: ‘Just keeping it between God and me’

The Times-Gazette

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