PORTLAND, Ore.––Dean Holloman, president of United Methodist Men in the Western Jurisdiction has given 214 units of blood to the Red Cross.

The 75-year-old began giving while serving in the Navy from 1952-1956. After giving many pints of whole blood, in the 1970s, he began to make apheresis donations.

Apheresis (from the Greek "to take away") donors give only select blood components — platelets, plasma, red cells, infection-fighting white cells called granulocytes, or a combination of these, depending on the donors' blood type and the needs of the community. A single apheresis donation of platelets can provide as many platelets as 5 whole blood donations

“When I first started apheresis,” said Dean, “I would receive a call mostly at night or early in the morning as an emergency request because I matched the recipient’s specific needs. When I first started they used both arms, they now use only one arm.” Dean says the process usually takes two hours.