Apr 13, 2007 9:07 am US/Mountain
Champion Blood Donor Happy To Share Gift Of Life
by Brooke Wagner
DENVER (CBS4) ―
April is National Donate Life Month, a month to honor blood, organ and tissue donors. One man who knows all about giving the gift of life is Bill Cell.
The 79-year-old grandfather from Westminster is the top donor at Bonfils Blood Center. Cell started donating blood 61 years ago while he was in the Navy, at that time he was paid $25 a pint.
Now he donates regularly without pay. "I suppose it is habit more than anything," he said. After he left the military, he worked as an accountant.
After work he headed to the blood center when most headed home. "I'd get on the bus and donate whole blood," he recalled. "My wife would come pick me up."
Over the years, Cell has donated 65 gallons of blood, that's 520 units which have helped more than 1,500 people.
One of his best moments came when he met one of recipients. "She'd been in a very serious car accident," he said. "I guess she'd used a lot of blood and I kind of felt good about that."
Cell considers donating blood as one of the best ways to give to charity or to volunteer.
"I think it's a great thing, I've often said that the one thing that I know for sure as a charitable donation," he said. "You're not going to have some shyster skimming 10 percent off the top. It's the purest thing you can really give."
And this donor has no intention of rolling down his sleeves any time soon, he promises as he long as he can get to the donation center, he'll be giving blood.
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