Home Community News Lopes has donated 21 gallons of his blood

Lopes has donated 21 gallons of his blood

Posted by Melissa Costa on Jan 27, 2012 in Community News, Healthy Living, Top Stories | 0 comments

New Bedford — A fear of needles may keep many away from a hospital, but for a New Bedford resident it does not stop him from donating blood every eight weeks.
Robert Lopes, 68, is on the Southcoast Blood Bank’s board of impressive donating milestones with 21 gallons given.
“I always felt very fortunate that I was able to give it [blood] and never had to receive it. I would rather be in the donating end than the receiving end,” stated Lopes, who began donating blood in 1961, while he was in the service for the United States Air Force.
“Until you have had someone close to you – in the family or a friend – that has needed blood, you can’t really understand. Once you have encountered that and realize how important it is and how needed it is, that’s what really gets people motivated,” explained Lopes.
While Lopes believes that it might be difficult for people to understand the importance of blood donations until a loved one needs it, his dedication in donating came about for a different reason.
Lopes grasped the importance of donating while he was in the service in Texas; a young victim of an automobile accident needed blood.
“The first time I donated, there was an automobile accident victim… a young man. A colleague and myself donated blood. We had the blood type he needed and after we donated the parents of that boy came in and they just couldn’t thank us enough,” recalled Lopes of that day that turned him into an avid donor. “It was a feeling of pride and I have been doing it since. I’m glad I can.”
Lopes explained that it is the passion to help others that motivates him.
“It’s a passion, it really is. Actually, I’m chasing that guy on the board that has 26 gallons,” stated Lopes jokingly.
Lopes, a native of Acushnet, whose grandparents were natives of the Azores, has been living in New Bedford since 1973, but started donating to St. Luke’s Hospital in 1966.
“The people at Southcoast are phenomenal people. They treat you like a king, they are very appreciative of what you do,” stated Lopes, who mentioned that the donors get a choice of juice, water and cookies. “I’m a chocolate chip cookie man myself.”
The three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group – Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham – and the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fairhaven and Fall River use approximately 1,300 pints of blood a month. According to Cathy Alegria, donor program coordinator for the Southcoast Blood Bank, the donations only cover roughly 40 percent of the hospital’s needs.
Southcoast depends on volunteer donors to meet the needs of patients requiring life-saving treatments in emergencies and patients with cancer and other serious illnesses or in need of surgery. All the blood donated, according to Alegria, stays within the hospital group, and therefore helps the local communities.
“We are the only local blood donation program in the Southcoast area. Donors are helping a family member, a friend or a neighbor, when they donate to Southcoast,” stated Alegria, adding that in 30 minutes a donor could save up to three people’s lives. “They are able – without going to school for 12 years – to save someone’s life, just by spending a half an hour here.”