Pine Island man is first person to reach 400 blood donations at Mayo Clinic

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Dave Johnson of Pine Island is the first person to reach 400 blood donations at Mayo Clinic, and he’s not done yet.

As of Tuesday, February 14, he’s donated 442 times.

His dad introduced him to blood donation. When he was teenager, he accompanied his dad along to some of his donation at Red Cross blood drives.

After he moved to Rochester, he looked into donating at the Mayo Clinic.

“It’s a great facility. It’s safe. They give lots of gifts and goodies,” he said.

His main reason for donating blood is pretty simple. He recognizes there is a need, and he wants do something about it.

“It’s kind of like a renewable resource is how I think of it. So, having donated a few hundred times, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t renewable,” he said.

Johnson gets lot of questions about how to deal with the anxiety of donating blood.

“If you can find a donor buddy, that’s great. I’ve offered to go along with people their first time, and you get a first-time donor gift,” he said.

Mayo Clinic and its bloodmobile will be at our studios at 6301 Bandel Road NW in Rochester Tuesday and Wednesday.

You can donate by calling 507-284-4475. The blood drive is by appointment only. The donations given will stay right here in Southeast Minnesota.

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