A son's promise: blood donor hosts regular drives in promise kept to late mother

I guess you could say that donating blood is, well…in Bruce Kimmey’s blood.

The Chemung county native first started donating in 1979.

“I first donated blood as a senior in high school. Initially, I did it to get out of class,” he laughed.

While it may have gotten him an excuse from class that day, it marked the first donation of what would be many thanks to the encouragement of family along the way. Bruce’s father was a local firefighter who would regularly bring him to blood drives over the course of about a decade he explained. When he married in 1992, Bruce continued the tradition donating roughly every 8 weeks with his new bride.

“You say wow, but next year my wife is going to hit 20 gallons! I’m thinking late next year, we’ve got to have a 20-gallon party for her.”

But Bruce’s record isn’t so bad himself. Now up to 51 units donated, he began volunteering at drives and acting as a courier to transport blood products to the Red Cross in West Henrietta. He also donated at drives held at the Willard Correctional Facility where he works as a Correctional Officer. He explained that prior to September 2019, the facility averaged two drives per year – then Bruce took over.

“They were looking for a blood program leader at work, so I stepped up and said sure I could do that.” 

That first drive, in his opinion, didn’t go so well. Turning to his mother for support, he received some unexpected news and along with it, the inspiration to carry on. 

“That same day I knew she had a doctor’s appointment. What I didn’t know is that it was with a hematologist. When I got home, I called her and asked how it went, and to tell her how our drive went. I told her we got 41 units and I wasn’t very happy and she said, ‘I received my first unit of blood today.’”

He explained that his mother was no longer producing enough red blood cells, and from that initial appointment went on to receive one unit of blood per week until her passing nearly 40 weeks later in July 2020 – just one week short of her 83^rd birthday.

“She asked me not to stop. Don’t stop what you’re doing, I appreciate what you’re doing. And I said I won’t stop.”

It was that conversation that inspired Bruce to turn to his Superintendent to increase drive frequencies at the facility to support patients in need like his mother. His initial plan was one drive every 16 weeks and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“They’ve been extremely supportive. A lot of jails couldn’t host blood drives because of the pandemic and drives were getting canceled left and right. So I said, what’s the possibility of us doing them every 8 weeks?”

And since July 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and the loss of his mother, it’s been every 8 weeks.

“To me, it means life or death. Sometimes, it takes seeing that you might lose a family member,” he said. “Blood products don’t appear out of nowhere.”

For patients like Bruce’s mother, help can’t wait. Right now, the Red Cross has an emergency need for blood and platelet donors as hospitals nationwide see an increase in trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries.

All blood types are needed, particularly type O and platelets. Type O blood is the most needed by hospitals in emergency situations. Blood cannot be stockpiled and with less than a half day supply of type O in recent weeks, there is an emergency need for type O donors. 

To be able to meet the demand, the Red Cross is urging people to donate to ensure patients receive the lifesaving treatment they need. To help do your part, visit RedCrossBlood.org to find and schedule an appointment near you.