By Lucy Weber, Red Cross Volunteer

The American Red Cross is brimming with outstanding donors, volunteers, and employees. Paul Heiman, a born-and-raised member of the Portland community, just so happens to fit into every one of those categories.

Paul spent most of his career working in software. That path began to change when he became a frequent platelet donor.

Donating platelets as many as 20 times a year, Paul built relationships with the phlebotomists, volunteers, and fellow donors at the Portland fixed site. He grew to appreciate the sense of community he was able to find during the pandemic. After a few years, Paul decided to become a volunteer, donor ambassador, and, eventually, a phlebotomist working alongside the very same people who inspired him to make a change.

Paul doesn’t have any one shining moment of realization where he decided he wanted to become a
phlebotomist, but he noted the support of another phlebotomist named Lynn. Lynn has worked as a phlebotomist for 29 years and is a dedicated platelet donor. In January of 2026, we wrote about her Red Cross journey and commitment during a severe blood shortage. When Paul was a volunteer, Lynn put the spark in Paul’s head to follow her lead and start his phlebotomy journey.

Paul offered three reasons that motivated him to take that final leap: the donors he got to know, the phlebotomists and other staff, and the Red Cross mission to save lives.

Completing his training on July 17th, 2026, Paul was excited to jump into work with his team and on-the-job supervisor Eddie.

One of Paul’s greatest strengths and favorite parts of the job is getting to know the donors, building a rapport, and putting them at ease so they feel comfortable coming back to donate again. He will never forget his first donor. The first thing you ask a donor is their name and birthday. To Paul’s surprise, he and his donor shared a birthday—December 2nd. They even laughed about the fact that they also shared it with Britney Spears. Those little moments of connection help Paul build trust with his donors.

When asked what support he would give to prospective donors that might be a little nervous, he said, “I think it’s just listening to them…showing them empathy, understanding…maybe give them your own experience if you’ve had it…and say this is how it is, and this is what we see with most donors…your feelings are very natural. I will do everything to walk you through the process, and if you feel at any point you don’t want to do this, that’s okay.”

Paul’s journey came full circle when he worked with Lynn, the phlebotomist who encouraged him to join their team, again during his phlebotomist training. When Paul came over to train with Lynn, he was delighted to find a familiar face.

We couldn’t agree more with Paul’s advice for prospective phlebotomists: “Probably two things come to mind. You really, in your heart, have to want to make sure that those donors are having a great experience, that you’re caring for them both from a connection and from a safety perspective. You really want to have that drive in yourself to be able to do that…the second part would be that you’ve got to remember, at all times, the overall mission is to save lives. Those donors are doing it to save lives. You should feel the same way; you’re doing this to save lives.”

Paul’s journey from dedicated platelet donor to volunteer, donor ambassador, and now phlebotomist reflects the many ways one can make a difference at the Red Cross. Today, he’s saving lives and helping his community, one donor at a time.

You can help make a difference, like Paul, by donating blood. Visit RedCrossBlood.org to schedule an appointment at a nearby blood drive.