North Oyster resident Murray McNab is known to be a giving type of guy, but some of his giving started in a different way. In September McNab gave his 200th pint of blood to the Canadian Blood Donor Clinic.
McNab first began giving donations of blood when he was in high school at Nanaimo District Secondary in 1974.
“I think that there was a campaign to get students to donate blood and a neighbour of ours had required many blood transfusions so it seemed like the right thing to do,” he said.
McNab has mostly made his donations while attending donor clinics in Nanaimo.
“Officially, I have donated 200 units of whole blood, but on my around the world tour, I donated twice in Australia, once in England and maybe once in New Zealand.”
He’s also had the bad luck of having to miss some of the clinics.
"I was involved in a motor vehicle crash in 1979 and could not donate for over a year,” McNab said. “Other operations, hepatitis A from a trip to Guatemala, also kept me from donating.”
Previously McNab said a person used to be able to donate once every 90 days, but now a person can donated every 56 days.
“I used to work for a mining company and was away in camp for months at a time. I remember going to the Red Cross permanent donation clinic in Vancouver, just before I was going back to camp. It had only been 89 days since my last donation and the nurse lost it. She claimed that I would be adversely affected and even die, if I was to donate before the sanctioned 90 days. Things have changed,” he said.
“The clinics used to be Saturdays, and that was convenient, but not anymore. I used to donate when the clinic was in Ladysmith and they had a young lady working there with duck feathers, but she has moved on so I did as well.”
McNab said most of the time, donations are painless.
"When you get a more seasoned nurse putting in the needle for the donation you can not really feel it,” he said. “I do remember donation number 199, when a young trainee inserted the needle, sweet jeepers that hurt, but I would say that 95 per cent of the time the donation process is painless.”
McNab said he encourages everyone who can to donate.
"As they say, it is in you to give," he said. "Many people cannot donate blood, for one reason or another, so it is up to the fortunate ones, like myself to step up and donate.
“With the donation appointment system that is now in place you can almost always be in and out in less than an hour. That is of course if you do not get held up at the snack and refreshment station after you have donated! These snacks have increased in both selection and quantity over the years, so it is easy to consume more weight than what you gave and the volunteers are so friendly.
“As I am projected to live to 106 and if I can donate till my death bed, I should be able to donate 234 more units. I can almost taste the salty treats,” McNab joked.
