DETROIT – It has been estimated that only about 3% of eligible individuals donate blood once a year. Those who donate more frequently, especially for decades, are even rarer.
A Metro Detroit teacher fits this description and has encouraged her students in a unique way.
A person can donate blood every 56 days, roughly six times a year. To reach 172 donations, it would take nearly 29 years. While donating blood isn’t a competition, if it were, Debbie Teichman, at 172 donations, would be a gold medalist.
“I just thought it was something I could contribute; I don’t really have a fancy reason,” Teichman said. “I just thought it was something good to do that helped people and wasn’t that hard or scary, so I just would do it.”
Teichman doesn’t seek special recognition for her 172 donations, but over 500 people have benefited from her blood components. With type O negative blood, she is a universal donor, usable in emergencies when a person’s blood type is unknown.
“When they have disasters around the world, if I didn’t already have an appointment, I would go make one because somebody needs blood,” Teichman said.
She encourages others to follow her lead, jokingly telling her students, “Dracula is on the phone,” and encourage them to ask questions about the process.
“I would just tell them it’s a really good thing to do -- it doesn’t take a long time. It’s something you can do for other people and not be thinking about yourself all the time, and they were pretty responsive,” Teichman said. “And then they always wanted to do a blood drive because when they’d come to the school, kids could get out of class to go donate blood, so of course they’re going to do it.”
Donating every eight weeks is not only safe but there are also theoretical health benefits. Frequent donations have been associated with a safely lower blood pressure as well as weight loss. It’s not suggested to donate blood for those purposes, but the point is it’s not harmful.
Gardner White is hosting blood drives Tuesday, Jan. 9, from 11 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at its Saginaw, Taylor and Waterford locations, followed by blood drives Thursday, Jan. 11, in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Canton, Howell, Novi, Shelby Township and Warren.
More information can be found on the American Red Cross website.
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