Councilmember John Lee’s arm is bandaged after completing a blood donation at an American Red Cross blood drive at the Los Angeles Fire Department Station 87 on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. Photo by Raquel G. Frohlich/American Red Cross.

By Mike Tierney/American Red Cross

Brothers, by nature, engage in competition — sometimes in the strangest ways. When the teenager John Lee and his sibling, older by five years, would stretch out on tables to donate at a Red Cross blood drive, they’d vie to see which could first fill their container.

The onsite crew would notice them squeezing extra-hard on the hand-held foam squeezeball to accelerate the flow.

“We’d always get scolded,” Lee recalled. “On more than one occasion, they would say, ‘This is not a race.’ “

Lee also chided his big bro after being the first of the two to receive a designation of CMV- negative blood, which made his eligible to be received by babies. In his mind, that was another match won.

The family dynamic regarding blood has changed for Lee, a member of the Los Angeles City Council. A regular donor despite his time constraints, he lauds his wife for frequent visits to drives. And he was delighted when his teen-aged daughter contributed her inaugural pint soon after turning eligible at age 16 after having seen her parents come home from collection sites over the years with their arms bandaged.

“Now it’s almost a family thing,” he said.

Lee has become almost evangelistic about providing blood, even referencing his daughter at a recent news conference in his role as councilmember.

“It’s the easiest way to serve your community — a 30-to-45-minute process to help,” he said in an interview. “I’ve been telling my kids that giving blood is the easiest way to save a life.”

Lee’s eagerness to pitch in generally dates to his early teens. At 13, he volunteered with The Arc, an organization that serves folks with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families. It consumed his weekends during summer break. (Lee’s like-minded brother got involved with the Arc at age eight.)

Since, Lee has sought other ways to make, in his words, human connections. Red Cross blood drives fit right in — in spite of one slightly uncomfortable aspect for him.

Lee is unafraid of the needles used in the process. Nor does he feel feint afterwards.

It’s the finger prick, necessary to draw a few drops for testing pre-donation, that Lee wishes he could avoid.

“That’s the only thing I fear,” he said with a laugh. “The worst part of my experience.”

Lee remembers Red Cross staff showing up at City Hall as far back as 1996 to round up donors.

He has supported the Battle of the Badges, an annual competition during which Los Angeles County and public safety agencies try to outdo each other by recruiting the most donors. Participants can receive a commemorative T-shirt in the current 17th edition that ends March 31.

The next family member in line is Lee’s son, 14, though a small hurdle must be overcome. The lad is leery of needles. Dad is confident the boy will overcome the angst just as he has with the finger prick.

“I’ve been telling him, when you turn 16, you need to start giving blood,’ “ he said. “It’s part of the Lee family.”

Every day, volunteer blood and platelet donors are needed across the country to help save lives. When you roll up a sleeve to donate, you help change a life. Schedule an appointment to donate today by visiting redcrossblood.org.