Tulsan donates 35 gallons of blood; becomes top donor in Oklahoma, Texas

Darwin Eaton says helping others is in his blood. <br><br>The 79-year-old, who began donating blood in 1949, is now the top blood donor in Oklahoma and Texas and among the top 200 donors nationwide. He

Friday, March 22nd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Darwin Eaton says helping others is in his blood.

The 79-year-old, who began donating blood in 1949, is now the top blood donor in Oklahoma and Texas and among the top 200 donors nationwide. He reached the 35-gallon mark this week.

Eaton has been to a Red Cross collection center 280 times in the last 53 years.

``It just got in my blood,'' he said.

The Tulsa man began giving blood after the state's first blood center opened in downtown Tulsa in 1949. In the beginning, he would donate once or twice a year.

Then Eaton, a credit manager at Warren Petroleum, started giving blood every eight weeks. He said his employer encouraged it by giving workers time off and transportation to the blood center.

``I may not be able to help in a big financial way the different charities,'' he said. ``But this is my way of helping.''

Children with leukemia and cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy are often transfused with plasma and platelets. Surgery patients and those with great blood loss after a trauma receive oxygen-carrying red cells.

Eaton is an especially popular donor because he has O-positive blood, which can also be transfused into people with A-positive, B-positive and AB-positive blood. Thirty-eight percent of people have O-positive blood.

``It is right up there with our most-needed blood because it is so versatile,'' said Red Cross spokeswoman Melody Johnson.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a flood of Americans tried to donate blood all at once. But many didn't make it a regular habit, Johnson said.

``It would be wonderful if those people would feel like they did at that time and get back in the door,'' she said.

Eaton doesn't have to be reminded with a phone call or letter to give blood. He knows he's eligible every 56 days so he just shows up at the blood bank.

``I just go home and put it on the calendar, just as regular as a clock,'' he said.