“For me personally, it saved my life. Being a donor all those years literally saved my life.” Donating blood to the American Red Cross helped one man receive a life-saving diagnosis.
Gary Jamison started donating blood in the 1990s as part of a push to encourage more African American donors to sign up to give blood. He says he was compelled to remain a committed donor for decades once he learned he was saving multiple lives each time he gave blood. But little did he know, one day being a blood donor would save his own life.
Back in July 2023, Jamison received a letter from the Red Cross notifying him that his blood pressure had gone up during his last three donations and it was something he needed to address immediately.
“I read that letter probably half a dozen times, I’m like they never send me a letter like this. And I don’t want to die… That letter really stirred me,” Jamison recalls.
He made an appointment with his doctor for a physical, where he found out his prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, levels were abnormally high. According to the American Cancer Society, if the PSA is more than 10, the chance of having prostate cancer is over 50 percent. Jamison says his PSA level was around 42.
Gary Jamison donates blood.
“It should be in single digits for a 63-year-old, African American male,” Jamison explains.
Following a biopsy, Jamison received a stage one prostate cancer diagnosis. He shares that he started hormone therapy following the diagnosis and is now receiving radiation therapy with his care team at TriStar Stonecrest Medical Center. When Jamison spoke with the Red Cross in October 2024, he was on day three of radiation and feeling good.
“I told the doctor, in September last year, I’m living to be 100,” Jamison says. “We’re doing what we need to do to eradicate this, and he said, ‘alright I’m here with you every step of the way’.”
Jamison’s health care team is not the only group providing support, as his co-workers from the Loews Nashville Hotel helped plan a blood drive in his honor. On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, there will be a blood drive at the hotel for those willing and eligible to donate. While Jamison cannot donate blood right now, he does plan to be there to encourage others and will be the “biggest cheerleader.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling of ‘thank you’, you helped somebody you don’t even know, who you may never know,” says Jamison. “But you know for sure that you have helped somebody.”
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Donating blood is an easy way to help others and only takes about an hour. The American Red Cross encourages donors to give blood every time they are eligible.
“God bless The American Red Cross,” Jamison exclaimed.
To make your appointment to donate lifesaving blood or platelets, visit redcrossblood.org.
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