AN East Cornwall resident has donated 75 units of blood to help save and treat hundreds of lives in the Southwest. John Farrow, 65, of Cox Park, a retired double glazer, gave his 75th pint at a session in Gunnislake on December 28. There to celebrate his achievement was his wife, Christine who was donating too. John started donating in Lewisham Hospital in London in 1977 and has regularly donated since then. He was encouraged to go to his first session by Christine, who was already a donor in Southwick in London. Mrs Farrow was coaxed in blood donation by her friends at work who did it, so she went along once and never looked back. Fay Simcox, spokesperson for the NBS said: 'We are honoured to be able to congratulate Mr Farrow on his fantastic achievement. We are very grateful to donors that give blood generally but to reach such a high number of donations is fantastic. 'Each donation could help to save up to three lives as blood is not just used in accidents and emergencies but also for ongoing treatments such as leukaemia and cancer.' John and Christine would both like to keep on giving blood until they can no longer donate. John said: 'If you are able to give blood then it is something that is a very good thing to do. I'd encourage others to give if you are able. It doesn't take much time or effort and at the end you get a nice biscuit and cup of tea.' You may be able to become a blood donor if you are aged between 17and 59, weigh more than 7st 12lb (50kg) and are in good health. Regular donors can keep on donating until they are 70. To make an appointment to donate at this donor session call the NBS on 0845 7 711 711.
