NEWARK MAN MAKES 200TH PLATELET DONATION- INDUCTED INTO NATIONAL BLOOD DONATION HALL OF FAME
PICTURED: Robert Bruner, left, poses with his family in front of the Blood Bank's Christiana Center.
Blood Bank of Delmarva member Robert Bruner of Newark, Delaware was inducted into the 2007 Fenwal Blood Donation Hall of Fame. Only 13 people nationwide receive this annual honor.
A near-death experience in 1996 prompted Robert Bruner to begin donating platelets, a blood component needed to treat people with leukemia and cancer. Bruner was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. He spent two months in the hospital and received fourteen pints of blood.
"Blood donors saved my life. After the accident, I promised to replace everything that I used," Bruner said. "I felt like I could make the biggest impact through platelet donation."
Although he had been a whole blood donor with Blood Bank of Delmarva since 1992, he became a dedicated platelet donor after he recovered from his injuries. Bruner, 49, became the 3rd and youngest Blood Bank member to make more than 200 platelet donations.
