Dan's Papers -February 13, 2009 -

It's tough, after all these years, to admit it. My husband is definitely not my type. Nor, as a matter of fact, are a number of my friends. Oh, they may all be kind, have a sense of humor, work and play hard. But still. If I were called upon to help one of them in a crisis, I wouldn't, I couldn't. Husband and friends are Type O. I'm a A.

That's blood type, obviously. While my husband and friends are not in need right now, and I hope that's true of you, they'd have to depend on strangers, not me, for the gift of life. That's why the North Fork's many winter blood drives are so vital. Like the blood drive a little while back at Southold Library on Main Road in Southold.

On that Friday afternoon, Long Island Blood Services had a great group of workers at the library. Tony Giuffrida, with LIBS for 15 years, admitted he was the PIC man. That's "person in charge," said Tony. This PIC guy does more than supervise. He's donated over seven gallons of blood through the years. It must agree with him 'cause he looked big and strong and healthy to me. Tony said the oldest blood donor he recalls was a 92-year-old woman. That lady had a note from her doctor. I don't know the doc's age.

Working with Tony were LIBS drivers Frank McCurry and Tony Chevres. Frank said the job was the best he ever had. "It has meaning," said Frank, and Tony agreed. They go home at night knowing their whole day was devoted to helping others.

Now for the donors, who, I noticed, checked out the food table for their after-donation treats. Things like Oreo cookies, Lorna Doones, fruit juices, packages of Trail Mix. Such sweet rewards. And besides, you have to keep that energy up.

One of the first donors on line was Virginia Gilmore of Southold. She gives blood three or four time a year. I bet she's an inspiration to her own three children and to the many young people she teaches in her Southold High School French classes. Bon jour and tres bien, Virginia. That's all the French I remember. But it seems appropriate now.

Speaking of students, Magdalena Szalowski was on line, ready to donate. Magdalena graduated from Riverhead High School last June and heads to Northeastern University in Boston right about now. Magdalena said she tried to give blood when she was a 16-year-old but was "shooed away." Good luck, Magdalena, as we shoo you off to college.

You want luck? When Southold's Mona McCarthy had a serious fall a few months ago, her daughter, Maureen McCarthy, packed up and came from her San Francisco home to help out for the duration. Maureen's and R.N. who has given blood many times and worked as a nurse at San Quentin, California's oldest (1852) prison. Anyway, Maureen had just heard of an auto accident in Southold and that spurred her into yet another donation at the library.

Southold's Jane Reilly has a mom story, too. Her mother, 93-year-old Libby Meredith, also of Southold, volunteered with LIBS for more than 25 years. And Libby gave blood during that time. So mom was daughter's inspiration.

Oh yeah. Jane and I have something in common besides blood donations. We like the Lorna Doones best. Though they're much smaller than years ago, don't you think?

Yes, there were guy-givers. Steve Polla is a Nassau county police officer who donates blood both at work (Massapequa) and at home (Southold). Steve began donating at work in 1990 and said police officers all over Long Island give lots of blood. They see the need on a daily basis, he said. And that need, in the United States, is constant and tremendous -38,000 pints of blood each day.

So raise your cup of fruit juice in a toast to the North Fork donor. Each one would give you the shirt off his back. And that's just for starters.

P.S. Want to donate? You have to weigh at least 110 pounds. And be between 17 and 76. If you're over 76, get your doc's permission. This too - no tattoos in the preceding 12-month period. Guess no problem if you're that 92-year-old donor.