Wilmington Man Joins Elite Group of Blood Donors with 200th Platelet Donation
Donor began giving platelets twice a month after wife was diagnosed with leukemia
NEWARK, DE - 57-year-old Bob Moley of Wilmington, Delaware made his 200th platelet donation at the Blood Bank of Delmarva's Christiana Center on Saturday, April 19. There are currently only 4 other platelet donors in the Blood Bank database who have donated more than 200 times.
"I've been donating platelets for nearly 20 years," Moley said. "But after my wife Sharon was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) five years ago, I began donating as often as I could... which is every two weeks."
A platelet donation (called plateletpheresis) provides about 10 times more platelets than a regular blood donation. Platelets are a part of blood critically needed to treat people with leukemia or cancer. During plateletpheresis, the donor's blood passes through a machine that separates the platelets from the blood and returns the other components to the donor. The process takes about 90 minutes.
"My wife has been in remission ever since a successful bone marrow transplant and I have a lot to be grateful for," Moley said. "I can't think of a better way to give back to the community than by donating blood."
