90-year-old donates 90th gallon of blood

DENVER (KDVR) — A 90-year-old man donated his 90th gallon of blood Thursday, totaling the equivalent of about 720 donations throughout his lifetime.

Virgil Olson is from Louisville and is one of just a handful of people to donate 90 gallons of blood to Vitalant in Colorado, according to a press release from Vitalant.

He first started donating when he was 18 and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

“I like to encourage people to start donating,” Olson said. “As long as I’m healthy and able to, I don’t plan on stopping giving blood.”

He donates platelets regularly and is eligible to do so up to 24 times each year.

Vitalant said platelets have a shelf life of just one week, so loyal donors like Olson are important in order to regularly replenish the supply.