Bonfils Blood Center Donor Tops 70-Gallon Milestone

If you see someone wearing a Bonfils Blood Center T-shirt at the Louisville Rec Center, there’s a good chance it’s Virgil Olson doing his daily workout. At 83, Virgil has no plans to cut back on the frequency of his workouts or his blood donations. He became only the 9^th Bonfils blood donor to reach the 70-gallon mark Thursday, June 16 at Bonfils’ Boulder Community Donor Center.

Only one other Bonfils donor is expected to reach this milestone in 2016.

A platelet donor, Virgil is able to donate as often as 24 times per year compared to six times per year for a whole blood donor. Platelets are essential for blood clotting and are routinely needed to support cancer therapy, open-heart surgery, blood disorders and organ transplants.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and whether a donor is making their 560^th donation or their first, every donation of every blood type has the potential to help up to three patients in need.

Bonfils operates seven community donor centers and up to 10 blood drives daily all around Colorado. To make an appointment call the Bonfils Appointment Center at 303.363.2300 or 800.365.0006 option 2 or visit bonfils.org.