A Lifesaving Legacy... Pass It On

Thousands of people donate blood each year in Connecticut.   Some donate every 56 days.  Others volunteer their time and energy to making each blood drive a success.  As a dedicated volunteer or blood donor, you not only help fulfill your community’s needs -- you also become part of another, very special community - the "Legacy" community.

Alan MacDowell, of Southington, is truly a Legacy.  He began donating whole blood at the age of 18 when he learned a friend’s daughter would be undergoing open heart surgery.  He’s been donating blood and blood products ever since. "It’s my way of giving back to the community and helping my neighbors."

For 40 years now, Alan has kept his commitment to the blood services program.  For the first 30 years, he donated whole blood.  Now, he’s donating platelets through a process called Apheresis, a procedure where blood is drawn from one arm and passed through a blood separating machine, where plasma, platelets and white cells are collected.  The remaining red cells are then returned to the donor through the other arm.  The components collected are used to help people with cancers, blood disorders and other diseases.  Because this process takes two hours, Alan doesn’t do it on company time.  "I use my five personal days each year to come to Farmington and donate Apheresis.  I enjoy doing it for many reasons, but especially to help kids across Connecticut."  Alan says it breaks his heart every time he hears about children suffering from leukemia.  But he knows he’s doing something to help give them another chance at life. "I’m no hero, but I try to do whatever I can.  It’s scary to think about what would happen if blood products were unavailable because people won’t donate."

Alan’s brother, Phil, is also a long-time Apheresis donor, with over 150 donations so far.  The need for blood products has hit home for them since another brother recently died from brain cancer.  Their brother had received transfusions to prolong his life.

Alan’s "legacy" to the blood program doesn’t end with his donations.  He’s made it his mission to raise awareness about the need for blood and blood products both at work, and in his community. "I am constantly talking about it at work. We keep pushing for more donors at GE in Plainville each time the blood drive comes."   Alan has even recruited several first time donors for blood drives. "I tell them there’s nothing to be afraid of.  And that if they want to help someone, a member of their own family who may need blood someday, they should start now."  Alan says when someone talks about the blood donation process with potential donors, they seem to lose their fear.  "People have even come back afterward and told me it wasn’t as bad as they thought, and that they’d donate again!"

The Legacy campaign is an invitation to long time donors and volunteers to pass on their Legacies.  It’s also a chance for others to receive these Legacies as gifts and become part of something extraordinary -- A Lifesaving Legacy.   Passing on the Legacy is an important way to ensure that your ideas and beliefs will carry on.  Accepting the Legacy of someone you know is not only receiving a gift from that person, it’s also giving that person -- and many others -- a gift in return.

In total, Alan has so far donated more than 19 gallons of blood and blood products. He has also created a personal goal for himself of donating 25 gallons of blood and blood products.  "I will keep doing it until I can’t do it any longer."   There is no doubt that Alan is determined to accomplish his goal.

Please Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (448-3543).

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Updated:     09/28/99