Our Nurse of the Week is Jim Gosnell, a nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, who has donated 16 gallons of blood over the last 30 years. Gosnell knows his blood type is O-negative, the universal blood type, and some of his donations go to the hospitals Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to help save children in need.
As a nurse, Gosnell gets pleasure out of knowing he’s helping someone every time he donates blood. Last Wednesday was World Blood Donor Day and it marked the 136th time Gosnell has donated. Although he’s already donated so much, he has a goal of donating 20 gallons. He says donating blood regularly is easy and it’s a great habit to get into, so he’s not done yet.
Dr. Richard Kaufman who heads the donor operation at Brigham tells Boston CBS, “Less than 5% of people who are eligible to donate actually donate. Any transfusion that’s given has the potential to save one or more lives, and it’s a very nice thing to be able to do for people.”
Gosnell says, “I donate about every 56 days. That’s when I’m eligible to donate.” He also encourages everyone who is able to get out and donate when they can.
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