After 45 years of donating blood every time she could, Carol Hall has officially rolled up her sleeve for the last time, but not before hitting a major milestone.
Recently, Hall’s doctor told her she couldn’t donate blood anymore, and, at the time, she was just one pint shy of hitting 19 gallons donated.
“I argued with my doctor, asking if I could give one more pint, but he said no,” Hall laughed.
And that’s where she thought it would end.
“I got to thinking, back before COVID, someone talked me into giving a double red, which they said would be counted as two units, but I looked back at my records and it just had one down for that time,” Hall said.
“So, I reached out to the Kentucky Blood Center to see if I had just been told wrong or if my records were wrong.”
Not long after, she received a letter saying she would be sent a “19-gallon pin,” but she didn’t get her hopes up until it came in the mail earlier this month.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished something,” Hall said. “I didn’t have a goal when I started this; I just gave when I could. First, it’s a gallon, then two, and now here we are. But they say for every pint donated it can help up to three people, so that’s something.”
In 1979, Hall was 33 years old when her mom had to have exploratory surgery due to cancer, requiring a blood transfusion two weeks later, but as she was receiving blood, she slipped into a coma.
About a week into her mom’s coma, Hall took a break while working at Pic-Pac to go to a blood drive being held at the Magoffin County Public Library. That was her first donation. Her mother passed away a week later, but Hall continued donating when she could – 151 times to be exact.
With the double-red, she’s given 152 pints of blood, 19-gallons. If each pint helped three people, that would mean 456 people helped by Hall’s donations.
To put it into another perspective, the average human body contains approximately 10 pints of blood, which she has given more than 15 times.
“I’m just pleased I was able to help,” Hall said. “Out of all those times, only once was I lightheaded.”
Eric Lindsey, the director of media and branding for the Kentucky Blood Center, told the SI, “Carol Hall’s dedication and commitment to blood donation for nearly 45 years is an incredible accomplishment. With Kentucky Blood Center alone, she has donated 151 times and given 19 gallons of blood. When Carol first started donating, we know she was motivated to give back in memory of her mother, who needed blood products. Although we never had the chance to meet Carol’s mother, we know she would be proud of Carol’s unwavering consistency to pay it forward and help others in need. Whether you’re talking about the hundreds of lives – quite literally – that Carol has impacted and saved with her personal donations, or her longtime advocacy for blood donation as a chairperson for the Magoffin County Community blood drives, she is truly a local lifesaver and a hero. We need more Carols, and we hope her commitment to helping others inspires others to donate blood.”
Lindsey explained they do have people who have donated 50 gallons before, but it takes a long-term commitment and persistence to get there, and it’s not very common.
Kentucky Blood Center (KBC) supplies blood for the state, meaning donations at any of their centers or at a mobile blood drive go to Kentucky patients in need, whether from car wrecks, traumas, major surgeries, cancer or other serious illnesses, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only hurt their supply.
“The pandemic affected our industry and we’re operating with a major deficit,” Lindsey said. “Before the pandemic, we received 70% of our supply from mobile drives. With the pandemic, it all changed.
Everything closed and we weren’t collecting in that way anymore. Now, a lot of things are kind of getting back to normal, but with our industry, the whole dynamic has changed.”
Now, the KBC receives half of its blood supply from in-center donations and half from community drives.
Lindsey said, “Before the pandemic, we knew we were in good shape when we had three or four days’ supply, but for the last two years it’s been around one day’s supply. We have less than a day’s supply right now.”
He also noted that most people think people only need blood transfusions from car accidents and gun shots, but over 25% of the blood supply goes toward cancer treatments.
“Specifically with the Kentucky Blood Center, we want everyone to know we’re a local nonprofit blood bank,” Lindsey said. “None of the blood goes out of state, which is unique and different. You’re helping your neighbor, brother, sister, aunt and uncle.”
Lindsey urged everyone to try to donate at least once, noting KBC staff will prescreen you to make sure you can donate, with most people eligible.
“One of the misconceptions with blood donation is about the needle,” Lindsey said. “No one wants to get poked with a needle, but the actual time you’re there is only 30 to 45 minutes, and the time the needle is in your arm is only around 8 to 12 minutes. I’m a big believer people want to give back and help others and this doesn’t cost anything. It’s only 30 to 45 minutes of your time and it makes a huge difference. Up to three lives are saved with every donation, so it’s a really impactful thing you can do.”
The Salyersville Independent will publish and publicize online when the next blood drive will be held locally, so subscribe today by calling 606-349-2915, visit our website at www.SalyersvilleIndependent.com or follow us on Facebook.
