The Rev. Lowell Self carries his Red Cross blood donor card, which dates back to the first time he donated, in 1968, when a friend needed blood. View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Local woman gives 13th gallon of blood

Spotsylvania couple devoted to donating blood

Date published: 8/2/2009

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

Lillian Self takes the term "blood sport" a bit literally.

The Stafford County resident gets competitive about donating blood.

Recently, at the American Red Cross Rappahannock Chapter's donation center, Self started teasing another donor.

"You aren't finished yet?" she taunted cheerfully, looking down at her own plastic bag, already filled with blood.

Self is a "fast bleeder"--someone who finishes donating a pint in less than five minutes. The woman donating next to Self was not so lucky.

"She's bragging, Miss 13 Gallons over here," said Red Cross phlebotomist Melanie Wilkins.

Self's competitive bleeding led her to make the 13-gallon mark last month--before her husband, Lowell.

The 76-year-old woman joked that in the early days, she scheduled donation trips while her husband traveled for work. And when he couldn't donate recently for health reasons, Self kept giving.

Donating 13 gallons isn't unheard of, said Jeff Hollingsworth, account manager for the area Red Cross chapter. Some donors even give 20 or 30 gallons.

A donor gives one pint at a time, and can give up to six times a year. Eight pints make up a gallon, so a person donating over decades could give a lot of blood.

But Self's dedication is certainly worth noting, Hollingsworth said.

Both Selfs started giving in 1968, after a friend needed blood. The hospital ran out of his blood type, and state troopers had to go across the Virginia to get more, Lowell Self said.

That's when the couple learned about the need for donors.

Lowell Self learned everything he could about blood in the intervening years. A retired Baptist preacher, he knows that references to blood show up in the Bible 450 times.

And he knows that only 5 percent of people who can give blood actually donate.

So he's on a crusade to get more donors--and he some-times uses his wife to help.

As she got her 13-gallon pin, Lillian also collected flip-flops, a hat and a T-shirt, all saying "Give Blood."

Lillian talked Lowell into taking her out to eat, saying to the phlebotomists, "Tell my husband I can't lift anything heavier than a forkful of food now, and he needs to take me out to dinner."

Lowell said she should wear the Red Cross swag to the restaurant.

"You never know who might decide to give blood after seeing your shirt," he said.

Amy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Email: aumble@freelancestar.com

During the summer is when the Red Cross needs blood the most: The need rises and regular donors go on vacation or get busy with hot-weather activities. To donate blood, stop by these upcoming drives or call 540/735-0520. Today: Best Buy at Central Park, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tomorrow: Powell Wellness Center in Culpeper County, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday: BAE Systems, 25 Center St. in Stafford County, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday: Fredericksburg Donor Center, 4636 Southpoint Parkway at Massaponax, 1-7 p.m. Thursday: Stafford Rescue Squad near the courthouse, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Thursday: Mary Washington Hospital, downstairs conference room, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Friday: King George County Parks and Recreation Center, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Friday: Fredericksburg Donor Center, 4636 Southpoint Parkway at Massaponax, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For a complete list of blood drive dates and locations, go to weneedblood.org. The average heart bypass surgery uses up to five pints of donated blood. Donors must be 17 years old and weigh more than 110 pounds. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Within 24 hours, the donor's body completely replaces fluid lost during donation. Diabetics can give blood if their insulin levels are controlled. People taking most medications and those with tattoos can donate. The Mid-Atlantic Region Red Cross (which includes the Rappahannock Chapter) needs to collect 600 pints of blood each day. --American Red Cross

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Date published: 8/2/2009