Wilfrid Laurier University football coach marks blood donation milestone

A Wilfrid Laurier University football coach is marking a milestone by making his 60th blood donation.

Zach Scotto, the offensive line coach for the Golden Hawks, has been donating since he was 17-years-old in a gesture that’s become a way to honour his late mother.

Scotto was just six-years-old when his mother Loraine was diagnosed with leukemia.

“It’s a cancer that affects the blood,” he said. “I can remember a lot of stories about needing blood or that kind of thing. And I remember having my blood checked, my family’s blood checked, and seeing the vials on the counter and things like that.”

His mother died about two years after her diagnosis, when Scotto was eight.

Scotto said he initially began to donate blood when the opportunity was presented at his high school, with students offered shuttle rides to the clinic.

“Originally it was, ‘Hey, I can get out of school and hang with my friends and have some snacks and that’s cool,” he told CTV News.

“But it slowly developed as a really simple way to honour my mom and continue that connection to try and help other people that might be in her situation.”

Scotto emphasizes that for those eligible to donate, it’s a simple and straightforward process that brings a lot of meaning and happens in a friendly environment.

“You’re going to have a great conversation, and you get to see smiling aces. And not only are you potentially saving somebody’s life, you’re having an enjoyable experience for yourself as well.”

After making the big donation on Wednesday, Scotto said he’ll keep going.

“Getting to 60 is awesome and I’m going to keep building that up and continuing to donate.”