Faculty Member is "bloody helpful"

In the summer of 1970 a young Mark Schumacher entered the Stanford hospital to donate blood for the first time. It's a ritual many have experienced but Schumacher's story differs from the norm.

While many first time donors will never again donate blood, Schumacher has returned time and again and in the pat forty years, donated over 200 times, 202 to be exact. "202 refers to the number of times I've donated with the Red Cross." Schumacher clarifies. "I've actually donated four other times" To achieve his high number, Schumacher has ended up donating several times a year, sometimes as many as five or six. He has also gone to many different places to donate. Usually at the Red Cross center, which he claims is always in an ice-cold room, Schumacher has also donated anywhere that he could. "I once walked from here to Dudley High School to give blood. And if you want to see a bunch of scared people it's teenagers giving blood for the first time."

Schumacher wouldn't even allow being abroad to prevent him from donating. While living in France for a few years, he still donated. "It was a little different" Schumacher recalls. "Instead of being on an open table, you put your arm through a hole in the wall for them to draw the blood." And the method of drawing blood wasn't the only cultural variation that he noticed about the process. "The interesting thing about that was unlike the canteens here which are usually sodas and cookies, there you got a sandwich and a beer." While he questions the idea of giving people a beer when they're a pint low on blood, Schumacher promises that he didn't fall down afterward.

Of course, Schumacher has been able to see the changes the process evolves throughout the years. "It's all more technologically done now. You answer questions on a computer; touch screen, rather than filling out a form." The growing awareness of diseases such as AIDS has also affected the process. Schumacher remembers some of his earlier donations, saying, "When I began giving blood, there were only a few questions about what I had to be ok on. Things like Malaria and Hepatitis. Now there's a book of questions asked."

Schumacher encourages those who are interested to also begin donating blood whenever possible. "It's so easy" Schumacher says. Referring to the phrase "a stick and a sting," he tells first time donors that it never hurts much and thinking about where the blood is going, makes the whole process worth it. "You stub your toe or bang your elbow on a table, that's going to hurt worse than giving blood."

For those interested in donating, the Red Cross requires that you be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health, meaning you feel well and are able to do normal activities. You can donate blood once every eight weeks (56 days) or once every 16 weeks (112 days) if you donate double red cells.

Additional reporting by John Boschini