Richard Gerow
Donor
Kelowna, B.C.
"What I do matters because someone out there is depending on my donation. It’s that simple."
Richard became a blood donor in his early 20s. “A girl said she would go out with me if I went to the blood donor centre to donate with her,” he recalls. “I did that, but she left before I finished donating and I never saw her again. However, the cookies were delicious!” Thankfully, Richard kept returning to donate — again and again.
Today, he has taken his commitment further by organizing blood donation events every three months for the Interior Health Community Health & Services Centre in Kelowna. Each time, Richard sets a goal for appointments booked; and in many cases, has even surpassed it.
A former Canadian Armed Forces medic, Richard has seen first-hand the necessity of a reliable, safe blood supply for saving lives. “Many of the patients that I rescued over the years would not have survived if it was not for the generous support of blood donors in Canada,” he says.
