He did it all for the cookies.
Well, not quite, but it didn’t hurt.
“We have a family history of heart disease and it’s an easy thing to do. It’s a chance to do your civic duty,” said Lar DeSouza as he donated blood for the 100th time at the Acton Legion Thursday. “And why wouldn’t you? They give you cookies.”
The 61-year-old first gave blood when he was 17. He actually had a dentist appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon, but after seeing it conflicted with the blood donor clinic and sitting at 99 donations, he rescheduled it.
“I’m usually not one to care about numbers,” he said. “I’m not one to talk about what I’ve donated to charity, but this one’s different. If talking about it is going to help getting people out to donate blood, that seems like a good thing.”
DeSouza has donated as many as four times a year, but is usually good for at least two donations annually. He missed some years when his kids were young, but now makes going to clinics part of his routine.
He said he gets that some people are nervous about needles, but said it's really not that bad. "The finger prick is the most painful part."
Canadian Blood Services volunteer Fran Morris had a gold paper crown and balloons waiting for DeSouza after his milestone donation and volunteers serenaded him with ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.’
And of course, there were cookies.
“They used to give you donuts,” DeSouza said. “You put a 17-year-old next to a table of donuts, it’s not surprising I kept coming back.”
The next blood donor clinic in Acton is Saturday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Acton Arena and Community Centre.
