Dr. Bill Taylor recently made his 250th blood donation, a milestone which took more than 45 years to achieve.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat dermatologist Dr. Bill Taylor first donated blood at the age of 19. Now 66 years old, Taylor made his 250th donation April 16 and doesn’t plan on stopping there.
“I’ve been donating blood off and on for 47 years,” Taylor told the News. “As long as I’m healthy, I will keep doing it. Now I’ve hit 250, I’ll aim for 300. It’ll will take me another seven or eight years, maybe.”
Taylor says he didn’t begin donating blood with the intention of reaching such a milestone, rather he first donated blood at his mother’s suggestion and continued simply because he wished to make a positive contribution to individuals in need.
“It just seemed like something simple to do,” Taylor said. “And it benefits society at large. It could benefit someone I know, though I don’t do it for that reason … I just made it a point to donate blood when I could.”
Taylor usually donates at the Medicine Hat Canadian Blood Services clinics, a travelling clinic which visits the city monthly, however he has travelled significant distances to continue his routine donations every eight weeks.
“When I was in Newfoundland, I drove four-and-a-half hours to St. John’s to donate blood. For his 250th donation, Taylor travelled to the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Each time he visits a clinic, Taylor gives approximately 500 millilitres of whole blood, which can take anywhere from five to 10 minutes, but averages around six and a half.
While Taylor doesn’t have an exact number of people impacted by his many years of blood donations, he is glad to know they have provided assistance. Taylor hopes his continued commitment will inspire others to donate blood as well.
“I’m very blessed and grateful my health has held out so I can do this, and consider it a privilege to do so,” Taylor said. “They do not have enough blood donors. They do have shortages … and I don’t know how they manage that … Occasionally they’ll put out appeals. If everyone donated they would never have that issue. It’s estimated less than 10% of people who are eligible to donate, donate on a regular basis. There’s a lot more people who could.”
Taylor recommends anyone interested to reach out to Canadian Blood Services and check their eligibility for both whole blood donations and plasma donations.
“It’s easy to do,” said Taylor. “It’s almost painless … they treat you very well, you can have conversations with phlebotomist or the nurse taking your blood, you can visit with other people at the refreshment centre, they really value your presence there … I’ve had 250 phlebotomies and they’ve all been good experiences.
“(It’s a) real feel good experience.”
