It seems age is just a number for an 89-year-old Nebraska man who has donated his platelets over 700 times at his local Red Cross.
It all started when someone at the Red Cross told Sherman Hirsch about the benefits of donating blood and platelets in the early 1990s and he decided to start doing it.
“I decided this is something I can do to help out other people and I’ve been always been blessed with good health,” Hirsch said. “It’s easy to do and it doesn’t cost me anything.”
“If you’re healthy and have the time I would encourage anyone to do it,” Hirsch said about donating platelets.
Hirsch started donating twice a month after school when he worked as a teacher and after he retired in 1995, he started going in every other Monday morning to donate his platelets, which is the maximum amount the Red Cross allows.
Hirsch decided to donate platelets rather than blood because the process of donating platelets is more time-consuming, which means that Hirsch ends up spending three hours at the Red Cross each time he donates.
“It doesn’t take nearly as long to donate blood as it does the platelets,” Hirsch said. “A lot of people just simply don’t have the time to take three hours out of their day. I’m retired so I have plenty of time.”
Hirsch jokes that he and the staff at his Red cross location are on a “first name basis, “Hirsch has donated his blood platelets over 700 times. “I’ve always had good health and I just thought I needed to pay back and help other people that have health problems,” Hirsch said. “It’s become part of my life.”
Hirsch has a message for all those interested in donating their platelets, “I’d certainly encourage anyone to do it,” Hirsch said. “If you don’t have a lot of time you can at least go in every eight weeks and donate blood.”