A Donor's Story: Paul

Jan 1, 2023 | Cameron Smith | @cameronsmith

Mayo Clinic’s hospitals became the first in the country to carry packed red blood cells on its helicopters in 1988. In 2009, Mayo Clinic added thawed plasma on all its flights, hoping to save more lives. Paul Drucker, senior director for Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service and a regular donor, has seen the difference blood products can make. “We use these blood products, and we get to see firsthand how important they are,” Paul said. “I have seen some miraculous things happen because of what blood products can acutely do with patients that are in need.”

Paul had donated in the past, but it was not until hearing a plea from the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program that it clicked for him. “I wasn’t giving regularly, and I just thought, OK this is what we are using for patients, donated blood products,” Paul said. “I see how important they are and how dramatic a difference they make. There is no reason I cannot do this. I do not have any excuses not to do this.” This realization was years ago, and now Paul is one of our Milestone Donors who has donated more than 100 times.

No matter what type of medical emergency, Paul and the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service team are there to help. It is through the generosity of blood donors that our first responders like Paul are able to administer these lifesaving blood products while in the field. Paul said, “It is about the person that is benefiting from your donation and how the simple act of donating might help turn the course of their health issue. You are participating in miracles every time you donate.”