Western NY couple gives back together through blood donation

Why do people decide to donate blood, even in the depths of winter? Everyone has their own reasons, but for Barb and Guy Perry, giving blood just seems like the right thing to do. What’s more, doing it means so much to them as a couple that they keep doing it as often as they can, in rain, sunshine, or snow. They’ve been donating together now for more than two decades. And even a Western New York winter isn’t going to put them off.

Barb and Guy Perry, of Ransomville, NY

Barb and Guy live in Ransomville, New York, about 30 miles north of Buffalo and close to the shores of Lake Ontario, where in winter the North winds whip in from Canada. It’s a beautiful part of the state in all seasons.
 
“We like to get outside when the weather permits,” Barb said, and she means it. They both love the outdoors, enjoying biking, hiking, and camping. Inevitably, though, that gets a bit harder in January and February. The current COVID-19 emergency certainly doesn’t help things either. But COVID-19 aside, the cold and snow have never put them off making it to one of their local Red Cross blood drives. In fact, these drives have been an important part of their lives since they first met.
 

Barb was an early convert to donating blood. She remembers as a child accompanying her Mom on her trips to give blood in Tonawanda. Even before she was old enough to donate herself, it was already part of her family life. “I always watched my mom and dad doing it, and I was just brought up that way,” she said. “And knowing that it always made a difference to someone” was something that stuck with her from a young age. Nowadays, she said, “We try and give back what we can.”

 
Donating blood even played a big part in Barb and Guy’s early relationship. By the time they were dating, Barb had already been a blood donor for seven years. She soon got her future husband into it as well. They went to their first blood drive together the year before they tied the knot.

Married 22 years now, the couple have been donating together ever since. They try not to miss the blood drives at the Ransomville Fire Department or nearby Wilson High School, where Barb works. “As often as they’re here, we try to donate,” Barb said happily. And they always try to schedule their visits together. “It’s just what we do,” Guy added.
 
One thing that hasn’t changed over the years, both insist, is the constant need for blood donors, summer and winter. That continuing need was made plain to Barb once again around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. She was approached by friend and Red Cross account manager MaryBeth Hall, who asked her for help informing the local community about upcoming blood drives through social media.
 
“MaryBeth would send me information about upcoming events,” Barb said. “I would post it on Facebook and make it shareable, and other people would then share it, just to get the word out to the local community.” It was a huge help, especially at a time when so many people were finding it harder to stay connected due to the pandemic."
 
Barb and Guy have continued to attend blood drives during the pandemic. Both insisted they feel completely safe doing so. Everything they see and do during their visits to the donation center reassures them that their safety is of paramount importance. Temperatures are checked at the door. “Everyone’s masked, they have the chairs spaced far apart, the donating tables are not right next to each other. They space you out,” Barb said. Guy agreed. “They do take every precaution possible,” he said.
 
Even in the age of COVID, Barb and Guy want to let people know that the experience of going to a blood drive is still a joy. The sites remain as warm and inviting as they can be. It’s even kind of fun to be there, thanks to the Red Cross volunteers themselves. Everyone’s very friendly, yet also professional. The staff even like to pipe in music for the donors. “I like the music; that relaxes me,” Guy said, laughing. “And some of the Red Cross volunteers, they’re singing and humming along too,” Barb added.
 
It all makes for an enjoyable experience. “And once you’re done, they always send you to the canteen to give you drinks, juices, and snacks,” Barb said. There are even free gifts available to donors—items such as T-shirts, coupons, and gift cards for coffee shops, Amazon, and the like.
 
Apart from the social media work she’s been doing in aid of the Red Cross, Barb has found herself warming to another technological innovation. She’s become a big fan of the Red Cross Blood Donor App—though there was some hesitation at first. “I can’t lie, I was nervous about getting the app because it’s one more thing on the phone,” Barb said. “But boy, everything’s right there.” She’s sold.
 
“The app makes the whole process when you get there go faster,” Guy added, pointing to the RapidPass process that allows donors to check in online. “All you’ve got to do is pull your phone out and they get you right in.”
 
Barb adds one more fascinating detail she loves about the app: She can now actually track the blood she’s donated, much as online shoppers track their orders. Whether it’s for local use or sent further afield, donors can see where their blood goes and how it gets used. “It’s the story of your donation,” Barb said.
 
Eligible donors who are feeling healthy and well can get involved by making an appointment at a local blood drive via RedCrossBlood.org, downloading the Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS. Those unable to donate blood are encouraged to engage with the organization in other ways, like volunteering their time or through a financial donation in support of its lifesaving mission.

Summing up their experiences about donating blood to the Red Cross, both Barb and Guy talk of the sense of immense satisfaction they get from doing something so important for their community.

“It sounds cheesy, but it’s a good feeling being able to help people you don’t even know in some way,” Barb said. She wants people to know that giving blood is an easy, free way to help people in need, “and it doesn’t cost you anything except a little bit of time.” For Guy, it was also important to think about the potential benefits closer to home. “You could be saving one of your relatives or friends one day,” he said.
 
Barb hesitated a moment before concluding: “And you know, you always hope that if, God forbid, we needed a donation or a transfusion ourselves one day, that it’d be there.”

Story by Dougie Bicket, American Red Cross