If you passed Jean Bernier on the street, you would probably not know that he holds a prestigious title in Canada. The 72-year-old is the country’s greatest blood donor, having rolled up his sleeve more than 1,700 times over the last 54 years. “We don’t know the people we help, but we do know it does help and it lessens suffering,” he tells CTV News. In fact, Bernier is considered North America’s most altruistic donor, disregarding some donation banks in the United States, where people are paid to give. Unlike some donors, his long-standing reasons for donating don’t stem from personal trauma or tragedy. Rather, giving back was something he was taught as a child by his parents. “There were my parents, 10 children, and my parents showed us how to be generous,” he said. “We never threw anything out. My mother did everything with everything that fell into her hands.” His first time donating, Bernier recalls, was the summer of 1971. He was 18. “In those days, it was the Red Cross that was passing by,” he said. “I said, ‘Ok, I’ll give blood. At least it’s part of me.’” Now, more than half a century later, Bernier insists he didn’t set out to hold a title; it just never occurred to him to stop helping others. “I don’t see a difference between 1,700 and 100. All those donations count,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to my health or whatever, and it’s OK. Nature decides. I’m going to keep on helping what I started in ’71.” For its part, Hema-Quebec says it hopes to continue celebrating all of its donors, whether it be for a first donation, a hundredth or a thousandth. “He [Bernier] was solicited by an organization that wanted to have a money donation, and he was a student with no money,” explains Josée Larivée, the organization’s spokesperson. “He felt bad to say no, and he asked himself, how could I give? How could I help? And that’s how he became a blood donor.” Currently, Hema-Quebec explains, only three per cent of eligible Quebecers are registered to donate blood products. “Every day, we’re able to manage to get 1,000 blood donations and distribute them in hospitals all over Quebec,” said Larivée, adding that for complete blood, the province is self-sufficient. It’s a different story, she explains, for plasma, the liquid component of blood that carries blood cells, proteins and other vital substances through the body. “We’re about 30 per cent self-sufficient, and we need to increase that self-sufficiency,” said Larivée, noting that the other 70 per cent is bought on the international market, mostly from the United States. “We’re aiming to increase it to 42 per cent of self-sufficiency in the coming couple of years.” Other donations that Hema-Quebec accepts include platelets, breastmilk, stem cells, cord blood and human tissue. Though Bernier says he hopes to continue donating blood for as long as possible, he welcomes anyone to come and try to take his title. If you’re looking to donate blood, you can find out more here.
