Grandpa Gagen's journey to platelet donation
There are many different ways to donate blood, each helping different people with different needs. For the past year, Thomas Gagen has been donating platelets through the Red Cross, but his journey to becoming a donor spans more than five decades.
Gagen's first attempt to give blood came back in 1965 while serving in the army. "I got drafted in Missouri for the Vietnam War [when I was first introduced to blood donation. I’ve thought about it ever since, it just seemed like a good idea. I kept so busy to avoid trauma from the war, but it was always in the back of my mind," said Gagen.
Life took over after his military service, putting his donation plans on hold. "I eventually took a job, which kept me travelling across about 12 states in the Midwest. After six years, I started my own company and ran that for the next 40 years, keeping me even busier," Gagen explained.
It wasn't until he retired at 80 years old that Gagen finally made his first blood donation through his local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) chapter. What happened next changed everything.
"When I shared this with my family, my daughter-in-law let me know that I was actually helping my grandson, which simply blew me away! I didn't even know my grandson was in need of platelets," said Gagen.
He learned that his grandson, Tommy, has a primary immunodeficiency (PI), called common variable immune deficiency (CVID), that requires weekly plasma infusions. Additionally, his grandson needs platelet infusions whenever he has to undergo medical procedures.
This personal connection transformed Gagen's occasional donation into a regular commitment. Now, he donates platelets every other Monday. The process takes about two hours, where Gagen arrives at a previously scheduled appointment at a select Red Cross donation center. He then completes a health history questionnaire and waits for the machine to be personally set up for him. From there, he sits back and relaxes while a small amount of blood is drawn from one arm, goes into a blood cell separator machine, and then, after spinning out the platelets, the remaining blood components enter back into his other arm. Gagen finally enjoys some water and a snack before continuing with his day. This process is similar to plasma donation, though it takes more time and is limited to once a week rather than up to twice a week.
"Needless to say, I am continuing my quest of giving for as long and as often as I can, for Tommy and all the others," said Gagen.
For this 81-year-old veteran, donation has become a meaningful way to give back. "To me, it is payback. I've had a wonderful life, and it's something I view as an opportunity God has made me available to do. I can do all the praying in the world, but I can point at this and say I give this, and it means something to someone. I can't do a lot, but what I can do, I am going to do. You don't know how much you can do until you try something, and you definitely don't realize how appreciative people are when you do."
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