Long Island Man Moves Toward Blood-Donation Record
September 8, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
Every year since 1951, a Long Island man has donated blood — and today he’s scheduled to do it again, bringing his lifetime total donation to 40 gallons, reports Newsday.
Al Fischer, a 75-year-old printer in Massapequa, N.Y., has given 319 pints of blood. Mr. Fischer’s total puts him second in line behind the American who has given more blood, Maurice Wood, 83, a St. Louis retiree, according to the New York Blood Center. “He’s about six or seven pints ahead of me,” said Mr. Fischer, who adds that the pair are engaged in a friendly rivalry.
Mr. Fischer racked up his total by giving blood every eight weeks, notes Harvey Schaffler, executive director of Long Island Blood Services. “He’s a one-man army, who has helped almost a thousand people,” he says.
