Port St. Lucie man, 88, celebrates donating 100 gallons of blood over lifetime

PORT ST. LUCIE — Blood draws can be fearful endeavors for some people.

For 88-year-old Richard “Dick” Pecor of Port St. Lucie, drawing blood has transformed into a calling.

Pecor has donated blood every two weeks for the past 50 years, allowing him to reach a unique goal: donating 100 gallons of blood to patients in need. To commemorate this milestone, the Port St. Lucie OneBlood staff on Tuesday celebrated Pecor with cake and a banner while showing their appreciation with a flurry of handshakes and congratulations.

Beginning donating blood around age 16 in Vermont, Pecor would eventually transition from donating blood to focusing mainly on donating platelets after moving to Florida about 50 years ago.

Platelets, also called thrombocytes, are cell fragments that create blood clots.

To obtain them, OneBlood staff connect donors like Pecor to a machine designed for filtering platelets from blood. Through a process called Apheresis, a centrifuge separates blood components, collects platelets, and then sends filtered blood back to the donor.

The process can take a few hours, allowing Pecor to develop a deep connection with OneBlood staff through the years. He donates every other week.

On a busy day like Tuesday, the clinic is alive with conversation as machines and blood bags steadily fill up.

“It’s almost a social thing,” said Pecor.

However, the donations of blood, plasma and platelets gathered at clinics such as the one in Port St. Lucie have serious effects on hospital patients who receive them.

Numerous medical conditions require a steady supply of platelets. Trauma and transplant patients require large amounts of platelets to survive. The majority of platelet donations go to cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Platelets can only last around five days, meaning donations like Pecors’ are always in demand.

Having spent his younger years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Pecor said he is drawn to help people. Once he discovered giving blood and its impact, he felt this could be his way of serving others.

To Pecor, his reasoning to donate is simple: “It’s just something nice to do.”

To Pat Michaels, director of media relations for OneBlood, donors like Pecor hold a special place in his heart.

“I call them donors of a higher calling,” said Michaels. “It is vital for the patients that need it.”

According to the Red Cross, almost 30,000 pints of blood are needed throughout the United States every day, which makes donors like Pecor that much more vital.

For the future, Pecor wishes more young people would get involved with donating blood.

“I rarely see young people (donating), mostly middle-aged and older people,” said Pecor. “I think young people should get involved with it.”

Pecor said he will continue to donate blood as long as he can, and hopes others will follow suit and help their fellow Americans in what he sees as simple but impactful ways.

To donate blood, visit www.redcross.org for more information and locations.