Still donating after nearly 40 years

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) A common excuse for not giving blood is that the person simply does not have enough time.

One man says that excuse simply won’t work for him. After spending much of his life giving blood while living in New York, Tom Acker recently moved to Myrtle Beach where he continues that tradition as a regular appointment.

“It was just something I thought I should be doing,” Acker said of why he started donating.

After nearly 40 years of a regular appointment he could never imagine the journey giving the gift of life would take him on.

“I think I can help people, It makes feel very good, I walk out of here, i’m floating i’m very happy,” Tom said of his visits to the Red Cross location in Carolina Forest. “I think it’s something that is very easy to do and I feel very good about it and I know I am helping someone that needs help.”

I remember as a kid watching my parent’s donate. They always brought home treats afterwards. It made me long for the day when I could give in order to partake in the goodness. Even after many, many times Tom’s helped out, he says he’s not going to miss those sweet or salty rewards.

“Of course, I walk in there and if they don’t have Cheeze-It’s I’m ready to leave right there and then,” Acker laughed.

He started giving blood and now donates platelets. He says he enjoys getting updates on where those platelets go and what type of patient they are used for. It’s an appointment he loves to keep and one that’s helped many many people over the many many years.

“The biggest excuse or reason people say they don’t donate blood is that they don’t have the time. I learned years ago an expression that my wife had is if you want something done ask a busy person and the reason is that a busy person knows how to budget their time.”

Tom says if you really want to know how to budget your time you should ask a busy mom because they are the best at balancing their schedules.