By Scott Marder, American Red Cross

On a summer morning at the Lanham, Maryland Red Cross Blood Donation Center, the staff was buzzing with quiet excitement. Sheila Leiss had just donated her 160th unit of blood, a remarkable milestone that represents 20 gallons donated over more than four decades. For Sheila, it was just another way to give back.

“I consider it a way to help people,” she said, with the easy humility that defines her. “It doesn’t cost anything but time.”

Sheila began donating in the early 1980s, walking down a few flights of stairs from her federal government office to a Red Cross blood donation center in the building. Back then, she didn’t even weigh enough to give blood but, as soon as she did, she started. Since then, she’s made saving lives a part of her routine, with a dedication and care that inspires everyone around her.

But Sheila doesn’t just donate blood. She’s also been a Red Cross Blood Donor Ambassador for 18 years. At mobile drives and donation centers throughout Prince George’s County, she’s often the first person donors meet – a welcoming, familiar presence who helps people sign in, answers questions and puts new donors at ease. Regular donors often recognize her from previous visits, and that sense of familiarity goes a long way.

Sheila’s warmth is felt by both donors and staff. When Sheila reached her 20-gallon milestone, Amber, the site supervisor in Lanham, surprised her with flowers, a small gesture of gratitude for someone whose dedication has touched countless lives.

Sheila knows exactly where some of her donations have gone, thanks to the Red Cross Blood Donor App. She lights up when she talks about tracking her blood to Walter Reed, Children’s National and hospitals across Virginia and Baltimore. “It makes it more personal,” she said. “Knowing someone in shock trauma might be receiving my blood – it’s gratifying.”

And the impact is personal, too. Sheila’s own brother received two units of blood during a medical emergency last year. Friends, former colleagues and the children she meets through her volunteer work with Make-A-Wish have all benefited from blood transfusions. “I’ve known several Wish children with sickle cell who need blood regularly,” she said. “That just reinforces how important this is.”

When asked how it feels to save lives, she paused and smiled. Then she shared a story. “A man brought his ten-year-old son to meet me,” she said. “He told the boy I was a hero. The little boy wanted to meet me because I had saved people’s lives. That meant a lot.”

Sheila, who spent more than 37 years working as a language analyst for the Department of Defense, now splits her retirement between reading, birdwatching and helping others. She volunteers weekly, sometimes twice a week, at donation sites close to her home. She’s proud of what she’s accomplished, but she’s just as quick to focus on what still needs doing.

“To anyone on the fence about donating, I’d just say: do it,” she said. “It’s easy, it’s painless and it helps people. That hour of your time might mean someone else gets to see another day.”

Ready to help save lives like Sheila?

Donate blood. Volunteer. Be someone’s hero. Schedule your appointment today at RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or download the Blood Donor App.