Sandra Ammons is a blood donor from New Bern, N.C. She explained she has been donating for more than 36 years.

“It makes me feel good,” Sandra said. “I know I am going to save many lives and that my blood is going towards good use.”

She recently donated at our annual Bear the Gift blood drive earlier this Summer, where she hit a major milestone!

“I am up to 15 gallons! It’s hard to believe. I am so excited,” Sandra exclaimed. “I am so proud of myself and now I’m going for 16!”

As an O+ blood donor, Sandra has made it a goal to donate whenever she can, to help as many people as possible.

“I am going to donate until they tell me I can’t give anymore, just like my father. He was my inspiration. He had gotten to 20-something gallons.”

She said donating is easy and it’s great to help so many people.

“It helps save lives. It really does,” Sandra said. “I know it will help people I don’t know, someone I do know. I have donated in honor of someone who had leukemia and needed blood, and I hoped my blood could help her and other people in need of blood too. I’ve seen my brother needing a unit of blood, and my mother needing a unit too.”

Blood is essential to help patients survive surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, traumatic injuries and other hospital procedures. For cancer patients, blood transfusions can act as a resource to implement platelets back into the body after heavy treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.

Sandra added, after each donation, she looks forward to getting notified by the American Red Cross where her blood donation went.

“I have seen it go to so many places. It went to local hospitals, it’s gone to Durham, everywhere!”

Through the Red Cross Blood Donor app, donors can follow their blood donation's journey every step of the way as it makes its way to a hospital to help patients in need.

Learn more about how you can become a blood donor and to schedule your appointment to donate blood at redcrossblood.org.