Escondido man makes 40th gallon blood donation at San Diego Blood Bank

Escondido resident Patrick Burke do­nated his 50th gallon of blood last week at the San Diego Blood Bank’s North County Donor Center, located at 358 West El Norte Parkway, Escondido.

Burke (pictured right) has been donat­ing for more than 20 years and donates plasma, which is the liquid portion of the blood that carries clotting factors and proteins. Plasma is needed to treat burn victims, trauma patients and those bat­tling sever liver disease and cancer.

Burke was inspired by a friend who had donated 65 gallons during his life­time. “If he can do it, I can do it” Burke said. Burke speaks kindly of the staff at SDBB and says “they’re darn good stickers!”

SDBB is dedicated to community health by providing a reliable supply of blood to patients in need. Its vision is to further ensure the health of our commu­nity by simultaneously delivering related health and wellness education and ser­vices and extending into research.

Founded in 1950 with the support of the San Diego County Medical Society, SDBB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non- profit that serves hospitals in San Diego, Orange, Imperial and Los Angeles coun­ties with blood transfusion products and reference laboratory services.

SDBB currently operates six local donor centers and ten bloodmobiles. SDBB’s Cell Therapy Program provides lifesaving stem cell transplants to pa­tients worldwide.

For more information about SDBB, call 1-800-4MY-SDBB, visit www.sand­iegobloodbankorg or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.