OHIO MAN MAKES THE "FIRST STATE" HIS FORTIETH STATE IN A MISSION TO DONATE PLATELETS NATIONWIDE
Newark, DE - As part of a personal mission to donate platelets in every state, 73-year-old Al Whitney, a retired factory worker from Avon Lake, Ohio, will be donating platelets at Blood Bank of Delmarva's Christiana Center in Newark on Thursday, November 4 at 9am. Delaware will be the 40th state that Mr. Whitney visits in his cross-country quest to raise awareness for platelet and whole blood donation.
"Giving blood is easy and rewarding, and I want to demonstrate that to as many people as I can," said Mr. Whitney. "That's been my inspiration for this mission."
Mr. Whitney donated his first pint of blood in 1965. He has donated over five gallons of whole blood and has made more than 660 platelet donations over the years. In addition to his lifesaving contributions, Mr. Whitney has worked with his community blood center for more than three decades organizing blood drives and recruiting donors.
Platelets, an important component of blood, have a shelf life of just five days. They are vitally needed for cancer and leukemia patients who undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy. A platelet donation, called plateletpheresis, provides about 10 times more platelets than a regular blood donation. Platelet donors can relax, read a book or watch TV as an automated machine quietly spins to separate and collect the platelets and return the other blood components. The painless process takes around 90 minutes.
Mr. Whitney started his nationwide platelet-donation mission in August of 2007. He has already made donation "pit stops" in Maryland and Virginia in 2008.
