An 80-year-old Canadian woman, Josephine Michaluk, earned the Guinness World Record for the most whole blood donated (female). Michaluk, who hails from Alberta, has donated a total of 203 units of blood throughout her life.
According to the Guinness World Record, she has been donating blood regularly for nearly six decades. She started donating blood at the age of 22.
Notably, one unit of blood is approximately equivalent to one US pint (473 ml), so in total, she has donated 96,019 ml (96 litres).
Talking about her blood donation journey and how she started, Michaluk said she was roped into it while visiting her older sister, who had a blood donation appointment and asked her to tag along.
On asking why she does it, she said she feels like she has it in her to give. She can share it with people that need it, she added.
Read Also: Video of policemen beating up man in Uttar Pradesh goes viral, users enrage over police’s action | Watch
The octogenarian hopes to inspire more people to give blood, and encourages eligible people to do so. Speaking about her experience of earning a Guinness World Record, she said she never even thought she would have a record. She said she was not donating for that reason but plans to keep donating till she is able to.
She says she feels energetic after each donation, despite having lost a pint of blood.
Even at the age of 80, she has been able to continue as a donor because there is no upper age limit for blood donation as long as the person is in good health in the US. She is still averaging over four donations every year.
Michaluk goes through various tests before donating blood. Checks are carried out to ensure she is in good shape and her iron level is tested to make sure it’s sufficiently high enough, said reports.
Michaluk’s blood type is O+, which is in high demand by hospitals because it’s the most common. According to the American Red Cross, 37% of the USA’s population is Type O+.
Maharashtra Police seize cough syrup worth Rs 9.30 lakh containing Narcotic Drug, 4 arrested
52-year-old Kochi man dies in custody after alleged thrashing by cops, officer suspended