By: Scott Marder, American Red Cross

Every two weeks, as the sun rises over Baltimore, Jim Schwartz follows a familiar routine. He wakes up early, grabs a light breakfast, picks up breakfast sandwiches for the staff and drives to his local American Red Cross blood donation center. But what may seem like a simple morning ritual is, in truth, an extraordinary act of service that has quietly saved countless lives.

Jim has been donating blood since 1974, beginning with a school blood drive while he was teaching in Baltimore City. But his platelet donation journey began years later, sparked by a deeply personal experience. His wife, who battled significant medical challenges for years, received multiple blood transfusions during her treatment.

“I couldn’t make her feel better,” Jim reflects. “The only thing I could do was help make sure blood was there when she needed it. And for others like her.”

Jim now donates platelets, which differ significantly from whole blood donations. Platelets are essential components of blood that help with clotting and are often needed by cancer patients, trauma victims and individuals with chronic diseases. Unlike whole blood, which can be safely donated every 56 days (up to six times a year), platelets can be donated as often as every seven days, up to 24 times a year. This frequent donation schedule is possible because the body replenishes platelets quickly.

Since he started donating, Jim has made it his mission to donate platelets every two weeks. Over the years, he’s donated more than 86 gallons of blood products and is well on his way to reaching 100 gallons. Yet for Jim, the gallons aren’t the point. “It’s not a personal goal about the number,” he says. “It’s about knowing I may be helping someone who needs it, someone I may never meet.”

For Jim, platelet donation is an act of what his faith calls a mitzvah: a selfless good deed performed without expectation of recognition. “You give to someone you don’t know, and they receive it not knowing who gave it,” he explains. “It’s an act of care for humanity.”

His donations have likely helped children, cancer patients, trauma victims and others who depend on blood products to survive. “When they tell me my donation is going to a child, I stop right there. That in itself makes me know it’s worth it,” he says.

Jim also credits the Red Cross staff for making his twice-monthly visits something to look forward to. “They’re not just professional, they’re warm. It feels like visiting friends,” he says with a smile. His routine includes lighthearted banter with the phlebotomists, watching Netflix during the donation and, of course, grabbing his favorite post-donation snack: peanut butter cookies, followed by a large cup of coffee.

When asked what he’d say to someone hesitant about donating, Jim offers simple reassurance: “If you’re nervous, talk to someone who’s done it. We’re all happy to share our experience. It’s not a big sacrifice. Just a little bit of your time can make a huge difference for someone else.”

Jim knows firsthand that blood products aren’t just for emergencies or accidents. His wife’s transfusions, and the transfusions countless others receive every day, are often needed for chronic conditions and illnesses that have nothing to do with trauma. “You can’t pay enough for blood,” he emphasizes. “The only way it exists is because people like you and me give it.”

His message is clear. You don’t have to be a superhero to save lives. You just have to show up.

Join Jim and thousands of others who give the gift of life. Schedule your appointment to donate today at RedCrossBlood.org. Because for the patients who are waiting, your donation can mean everything.