Palatine Man Preparing To Donate His 160th Pint Of Blood Next Week
(CBS) -- An 87-year old Palatine man has been donating blood since he was a teenager and next week donates his 160th pint or unit of blood.
160 pints or units of blood is about 20 gallons of blood. George Serena says he gives because it's fun and it saves lives.
"They call me Mr. Blood Drop, Mr. Ketchup, Dracula. Call me whatever you want to, but just donate a pint of blood and save three lives," Serena says.
Besides blood, Serena donates his time, at least 120 hours a year, promoting blood donations as he wears a special costume shaped to look like a drop of blood.
He says he, especially, tries to get young men in high school and college to donate, saying they change the oil in their cars periodically, so "why not get rid of a pint of your old blood? It replenishes itself."
George Serena has been donating blood for 70 years, since he was 17 years old and he was asked to help his uncle who needed blood. His mother asked if he wanted to donate blood with her, so they hopped on a streetcar from the Northwest Side and went downtown to a hospital to donate.
Serena says he'll keep donating, "Until the guy up there wants me, I guess, or until LifeSource says my blood is no longer good. It's got to be good. It's been working. They keep calling me back."