Man Has Donated 40 Gallons of Blood - Neatorama

Al Fischer, an 75-year-old New York man has reached a very commendable milestone: he has donated 40 gallons of blood over 58 years!

The print shop operator from Massapequa, affectionately known as Albee, has been donating blood every year since 1951, when Harry S. Truman was in the White House - 11 presidents ago.
So far, Fischer has given 319 pints of blood and he will do it again Tuesday in Woodbury, bringing his lifetime donation to a total of 40 gallons.
"I'm too cheap to give money, so I give blood," Fischer, 75, said jokingly.

Fischer is estimated to have helped almost 1,000 people who needed blood transfusion. Newsday has the story: Link (Photo: Howard Schnapp)

That's fantastic. I hit a gallon a while ago and I tell you, the combination of simple humility contrasted with a bit of pride is one you'll never forget. Congrats to the guy.

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People throw around the word hero too loosely nowadays. Every cop, firefighter, and politician is now called a hero just for doing their job.

This fellow is a true hero. He didn't have to do this, but he did, and saved many lives by so doing.

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Would have been a wonderful heartwarming story if it weren't for the "new york" part.

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The last two times I donated blood I passed out for no discernable reason so they asked me to stop trying. Passing out was no big deal to me but I guess it causes the blood bank some concerns. So my hat's off to Mr. Fischer and his achievement.

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Mr. Fischer is awesome. The number of lives he has helped, and likely saved must be in the hundresds. He is a hero.

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I thought I was doing well at 40 pints!

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I wish I could give blood and make up for lost and wasted years during the Korean War (the '50s). I did give for some years but was then deferred due to ?high blood pressure? Not being ALLOWED to give breaks my heart! (75 years old)

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Props to him. I think he is a true hero.

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Great story, great man!

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I understand that there is a scientific theory that 'free radicals' that build up in our bloodstream damage cells, which tends to cause aging symptoms. Some believe that regularly donating blood causes a regular purging of these, making frequent donors age slower, physically. (this is one factor it is believed women live longer than men - menstation).

Anyhow, perhaps there's something to that. This guy doen't look bad for 75. Growing up in Florida, I've seen tons of 'old people' younger than him who looked a lot older.

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