By Paige Zulandt

It’s another December day inside the American Red Cross Blood, Platelet and Plasma Donation Center on Charlotte Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee, where generous blood and platelet donors are doing their part to help save lives. But it’s not just any other day for Gary Jamison. Today is the day he makes his first blood donation since he learned he had prostate cancer in 2023.

“I’m glad to be here,” Gary shares. “I mean, I wasn’t sure I was going to get back here, but I knew that was my goal.”

Gary has been a blood donor since the 1990s. 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.

“For me personally, it saved my life," Gary says. "Being a donor all those years literally saved my life.”

Back in July 2023, Gary 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. He made an appointment with his doctor, which led to a stage one prostate cancer diagnosis. After radiation therapy treatment, he was able to ring the bell and be declared cancer-free on November 1, 2024.

“You know cancer can be scary, everyone knows cancer sucks, cancer kills,” Gary says. “And as the person who survived prostate cancer, I’m telling you when you have it, you have to fight with all you have to make sure you continue to thrive and survive.”

Now following one year of being cancer-free, Gary is ready to continue being a blood donor. As he sat in the donor chair for the first time in two years, he said he was feeling “absolutely fantastic. [I feel] not only gratitude, [I’m] just counting those blessings.” What are some of those blessings you might ask? Gary is grateful for his job as a concierge at the Loews Hotel in downtown Nashville, eating his favorite foods like prime rib and pork chops, and getting the chance to take part in the ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.’

Gary admits he was nervous to start donating again and counted on the Red Cross staff to help him calm down. After waiting an extra 10 minutes before starting the donation process, he was able to lower his blood pressure and donate.

To Gary, donating blood is the “simplest, easiest and direct way you can impact people whom you will never meet. It’s the best feeling; it’s a great feeling of gratitude.”

“And one of the beautiful experiences, as a donor, you get an email from the Red Cross telling you that your donation was sent to this hospital or that hospital,” Gary shares. “So you know you’ve impacted someone, who you’ll never know, and they’ll never be able to say thank you. That’s okay. They didn’t have to say thank you, because you’ve done something good.”

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. If you are interested in learning more about blood donation or scheduling an appointment near you, visit redcrossblood.org.