A New Brunswick man recently donated blood and plasma for the 800th time.
Harry Cross, 78, first gave blood in 1961 after some co-workers’ wives organized a blood drive at the oil refinery where he worked.
At the time, rules required that he could only donate blood once every four months, but now he’s allowed to donate blood and plasma once a week and so he does.
“You can do a lot of good for very little cost,” he told CTV Atlantic with a needle in his arm.
Cross said he enjoys his 8 a.m. appointments each Monday at Canadian Blood Services, because he gets to socialize with fellow donors and employees.
Cross didn’t miss his appointment this week, despite the holiday.
CBS employee Jacqueline Alain said she appreciates that, because donations tend to drop during the holidays.
Cross said his goal is to reach 1,000 donations, which he estimates will happen in about four years.
CBS says that a single car crash victim can require up to 50 blood donations, and donated blood is also commonly used in cancer treatment and heart surgery.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Ashley Blackford
