Man donates 100 gallons of blood over 35 years

Harold Mendenhall, 84, reached an usual milestone last month as he reached 100 gallons of donated blood in a span of 35 years.

Mendenhall, who is O positive, started giving blood when his wife Frankie was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 7, 1977, according to the Palm Beach Post. When she died seven years later, Mendenhall says he felt lost and began donating up to 40 pints of blood a year.

According to Sky News, Mendenhall would stop by the blood bank on his way home from work. He claimed that donating blood helped him cope with the loss of his wife and later of two of his five children.

"For some reason, I'm still here and I'm grateful," he said. "That's one of the reasons I keep donating."

Mendenhall's donation is especially coveted because he gives platelets, which are small cells in the blood that help with clotting. Platelet donors are also capable of giving blood more frequently.

According to the Post, Mendenhall comes into the One Blood center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. every two weeks where he undergoes the 90-minute-to-two-hours donation process.

"Giving blood can only be done by a human being, so that’s been my payback for my career and my good health and all the blessings I’ve had,” Mendenhall said.