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North Star native
reaches donor milestone
DAYTON, Ohio - Kettering donor Eileen McBride grew up in what she calls
her “little town of North Star” in the far reaches of Darke
County. It was there she learned that donating blood was a way
for neighbors to help neighbors, and that inspired her to reach her
milestone 100th lifetime donation Tuesday, Dec. 2 at the Dayton
Community Blood Center.
Eileen s husband Phil is also a blood donor. She retired from the
Northridge Local Schools system in 2010. “I taught at Northridge
Middle School,” she said. “I taught special education for 31 of my 36
years. I used to stop by the blood center to donate on my way
home.”
But the journey to her milestone donation began in North Star. “I know
why I started,” she said. “I think I was in college. The mobile
unit came up to my little town of North Star in Darke County. It
was a blood drive for the two Kremer boys who were both hemophiliacs.”
Dan and Kevin Kremer are the sons of Carl and Carolyn Kremer.
Carl has passed away, but Carolyn continues to support CBC blood
drives. Carolyn can recall the many emergency trips to Dayton in
the middle of the night to control bleeding episodes with plasma
transfusions. The boys benefitted greatly from community support
and advances in blood science, including the 1965 discovery of
cryoprecipitate and its improved clotting power. They are doing
well today.
“I ended up being able to give,” Eileen said about her donation for the
Kremer boys. “I kept giving at college, Ohio University. I think
I passed out once!”
On the day of her 100th donation milestone Eileen also applied to
become CBC volunteer. She will be noticed as an ambassador for
CBC every time she wears her new CBC “Donor for Life – 100 LTD” jacket.
But she wants to do more.
“In the first five years after I retired I got everything done around
the house I planned to do,” she said. “I’m looking for a place to
volunteer!”
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