A Kansas Man Donated His 100th Gallon of Blood

James Parker of Wichita, Kansas, just reached an amazing milestone by donating his 100th gallon of blood to the American Red Cross.

His incredible journey started nearly 50 years ago with a little bit of high school peer pressure. He was a high school principal at the time, and his senior class challenged him to roll up his sleeve if half of them did. He couldn’t back down from being a leader. He made his first donation — and that sparked a lifelong passion for giving back.

Over the decades, James became so dedicated that, back in 2004, he and his wife embarked on an epic road trip to donate blood in every single state across the country.

James and his wife have woven this generosity into their lives, knowing that it impacts others in a big way. As he explained, “Every time we donated a gallon of whole blood, we helped save three lives. And every unit of platelets saves one life.”

James, who celebrated his 88th birthday on Monday, isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon. Even better? He’s hoping that by this time next year, his wife will join the club and hit her 100th gallon, too.