A legendary gift: KAFF Legends DJ Donates 16 gallons of blood to help tackle Arizona’s critical shortage

This week he was marking a different kind of milestone all together. For decades Bruce has been sharing more than his iconic voice with northern Arizonans. He’s also been sharing his blood — 16 gallons of it over the course of 128 donations.

Bruce is a longtime KAFF Country disc jockey. His voice is the unmistakable anchor of KAFF Legends (AM 930), and he’s the host of programs such as “Under Western Skies,” a Sunday morning radio staple featuring cowboy poetry and traditional music. In 2021, Bruce won the International Western Music Association Radio Program/DJ of the Year award.

The warehouse where Bruce gave his 128th pint of blood is unassuming and dimly lit. One folding table by the door functions as a donor check-in station, another is stacked with water and snacks. Scrub-clad techs stand by with blood bags, near two clinical chairs. The air is sterile.

The room is nothing special, but it’s the site of something very special indeed. In this room, everyday people give the gift of life. And that gift is desperately needed.

Right now the State of Arizona is faced with an emergency blood shortage — meaning hospitals and medical centers have less than a three-day supply of blood on hand.

It takes 600 individual donations to account for a single day’s supply.

According to Carina Fors, a senior account manager at Vitalant and the person in charge of scheduling blood drives in northern Arizona, the average car accident victim needs about 50 units of blood.

“A lot of people will come out when they hear about massive shootings and things like that, but there are everyday needs — accident victims, cancer patients and people with blood-related diseases that need monthly blood transfusions. They’re relying on those blood donations that come in daily,” Fors said.

The most critical donors are people like Bruce, those who come in whenever they can and loyally give their lifeblood to keep Arizona’s supply where it has to be to support people in need.

“I come in as soon as I’m eligible — which is once every 80 days. That is the threshold. They’ll send me a reminder that my time is up and that it’s OK to move forward as far as a donation,” Bruce said. “At that rate I give five or six times a year.”

Bruce has been giving blood since high school, and his dedication to sitting for donations is unusual — and becoming more so by the day.

“It’s very rare. I’m at a little over 10 gallons myself. We do have loyal donors that are up there with 15, 20 gallons donating,” Fors said. “If you figure, he’s donated 128 pints or times, and one of those pints could help support up to three people. Red cells, plasma and platelets, they’re separated. Just know the amount of lives he’s touched by simply donating an hour to an hour and a half of his time four or five times a year.”

Bruce said his parents were part of the “World War II generation.” Their lessons about community service are what got him started on his giving journey.

“They instilled in me the importance of giving back to your community. So, in that same breath, I’ve always been conscientious about giving blood because I am an eligible donor and it’s a way to help my fellow man,” he said.

These days, Fors said, there is a generation gap in giving. That gap is a driver for what feels like a near-constant blood shortage, she said.

A lot of donors, like Bruce, start giving in high school, but Fors said a lot of people stop signing up to give after graduation.

“With high school, they do get out of class, except for Flagstaff Unified, to donate, so that’s like a perk. It seems after high school, donors just kind of drop off. As the older generation is not able to donate, we’re really focused on educating the younger generation that there is no substitute for blood,” Fors said.

She said the majority of northern Arizona’s regular, foundational donors are older than the age of 50. A number of her steady lifelong donors are aging out.

“I just think younger people need to get on board. I think there is a lack of education and awareness concerning the blood donation process. The next generation of folks needs to step up and do their part. They are the future of blood donation. We’ve got to keep it rolling,” Bruce said.

Money can’t buy blood, at least in the traditional sense. Chatting with Bruce, Fors pointed that out. She can’t take a monetary donation to Costco and help medical centers stock up. That fact alone makes blood a commodity that’s hard to come by.

“It’s a finite resource in that the only way the medical centers and hospitals and trauma centers can get blood is from human beings to help with operations and emergencies and traffic accidents. There’s no way around that,” Bruce said. “You’ve got to be willing to step up and provide that resource because there is no other option.”

Fors said she can speculate that younger people aren’t giving blood because they don’t understand how critical their donation might be. She also wonders if a fear of needles holds most people back.

“I think that is an invalid excuse for a lot of people. A lot of people utilize that, ‘Oh, I’m afraid of needles.’ An IV is not in any way shape or form an intimidating thing. It’s something that every person comes into contact with throughout their lives,” Bruce said.

Fors said she encourages people who are afraid of needles to consider the patient on the other end of their donations — patients who have to face month transfusions, and regular blood work.

“There’s a little girl who has diamond black fan anemia and she needs a transfusion every month. Just think about the needles in her arm constantly,” she said.

And 128 pints of blood could help save close to 400 lives. That’s a legendary gift from the KAFF Legends DJ.

However, Fors said, she hopes younger donors won’t just aspire to follow in Bruce’s footsteps.

They’ll check on their eligibility and fill some blood bags of their own.

Eligibility standards change, and often factors donors believe will limit their ability to give are temporary. Details such as getting a tattoo, traveling overseas or taking regular medication might not be the barriers they once were.

Would-be donors with questions about eligibility can call Vitalant at 877-258-4825 (877-25-VITAL).

At the end of the day, Fors said, a new wave of regular donors is the best and likely only cure for the state’s blood shortage and the only way to soothe the near constant crisis.

“We need help getting out of these emergency blood shortages. We need people to step up so that we’re not continually desperate for help,” she said.