Ottawa man gives blood for 150th time
An Ottawa man marked a milestone Thursday, donating blood for the 150th time.
"I am proud of it for sure," says 69-year-old Guy LeBlanc.
Guy LeBlanc first donated when he was 19 years old.
"It was at Carleton University and I thought it was something different," said LeBlanc.
He says it soon became part of his routine.
"It was a habit that I got into. When I graduated from Carleton, I went to Ottawa U and during those four years I worked as an orderly at the children’s hospital and that’s when I saw the real need for blood," said LeBlanc.
"My wife worked in the oncology ward, and I would go up and visit occasionally and I saw all the kids who really needed it and that is what strengthened my resolve to give as much as I could, as many times as I could.”
LeBlanc goes to the Canadian Blood Services clinic on Carling Avenue every 56 days - the minimum requirement between donations for men.
"They recognize me for sure!" he says.
LeBlanc says he doesn’t think about the number of people he has impacted during his decades of donating.
"They say something like for every donation you affect four people and that’s a nice number because that makes 600 people, but I don’t really think about it, it’s more like this is a habit I’ve grown into."
He encourages everyone to give.
"It is easy to do, it is one-hour chunk of your life and the people there are really, really nice."
Canadian Blood Services says it is extremely rare for someone to reach the 150-donation milestone like LeBlanc.
Gina Leyva is a spokesperson for Canadian Blood Services.
"Every time you donate blood you are the direct connection to saving someone’s life," said Leyva.
"Sometimes someone going through cancer treatment could require up to 10 donations each week, so for someone to donate blood 150 times, it is a huge and incredible milestone and definitely Guy has helped many, many people.”
Leyva says only four per cent of the eligible Canadian population donate blood.
Leyva says there is a shortage of donations during the winter, and the Carling Avenue Clinic was impacted by this week’s massive snowstorm.
"The clinic on Carling Avenue was open that day, but we were hoping to have 77 people donate and only 15 people were actually able to donate so that was really difficult heading into this week," said Leyva.
LeBlanc has inspired others to donate, including his son Jordan, who now goes with his dad to donate. He has donated 39 times.
Jordan LeBlanc says he is proud of his father.
"When my dad got to 148, 149 I started doing the math and its incredible – it is a lifelong commitment and it’s amazing my dad has been able to help so many people.”
Guy LeBlanc says he will continue to donate blood for as long as he is able to.
"One hundred and fifty is not my final number… I will continue to donate every 56 days.”
To learn more about how you can donate blood, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.