May 24, 2013 -- Thomas Hoefs of Franklin will make his 200th blood donation at BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Greenfield donor center this weekend. He is scheduled to donate platelets on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Hoefs, who has been donating blood through BloodCenter of Wisconsin since 1996, makes an appointment to donate platelets every two or three weeks. He has encouraged his daughter and son to donate regularly as well. He calls this a “small” milestone, and says, “It would be nice to reach 500 donations — maybe when I’m in my 70s. And I’d want my son to reach 200 by then.”
Why is blood donation so important to him? Hoefs says it is about the way it makes him feel, knowing he is helping people in need. “I was donating one day at BloodCenter in Greenfield. The lady in the chair across from mine was donating blood for herself, because she was going to have surgery. This was her third time donating in preparation for surgery. Her vein collapsed, and she started to cry. I asked her what was her blood type, and it turned out to be the same as mine. So I signed the paperwork right there, and the blood I donated that day went directly to her.”
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Hoefs later received a card from the woman he helped, thanking him for his kindness. “If there’s a need and I have the health, let it be,” he says. “That’s my motto.”
As a platelet donor, Hoefs is giving a very important gift to patients in need. Platelets are made in bone marrow and help blood to clot. They can be needed by many different patients, including people who are having heart surgery, experiencing uncontrolled bleeding or going through chemotherapy. Platelets can be donated more often than whole blood but must be used within five days of collection.
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About BloodCenter of Wisconsin
BloodCenter of Wisconsin is a private, not-for-profit organization that specializes in blood services, organ and tissue recovery, marrow donation and education, diagnostic testing, medical services and leading-edge research. BloodCenter of Wisconsin is the only provider of blood to hospitals in 29 Wisconsin counties. BloodCenter of Wisconsin advances patient care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled medical and scientific expertise. For more information, visit www.bcw.edu.