Childhood friends have donated blood 250 times between them

They are two old friends who are considered "blood brothers," not just because they are close, but because of how they spend their lunch breaks.

For a decade and a half, Peter Seligman, 60, and Bruce W. Young, 61, have been regularly meeting for a "liquid lunch,"
but not the kind most friends have.

"Every couple of months, depending on our schedules, we come down and we give blood, usually at the Manulife Centre, usually around this time, noon, and then we have lunch together," Seligman told CBC Toronto.

The two have made a habit of giving for an impressive length of time. Seligman first donated blood as a teenager. If you have never donated before, Canadian Blood Services says you can start donating at any time after your 17th birthday.

"! started in high school. I know it was in high school because I lied about my age," Seligman said, laughing.

"And he inspired me to do this, which I've also passed along because now my son gives," said Young, who adds that Seligman inspired him to make a habit of giving blood 15 years ago.

"It's just leadership. It's just the fact that he's done this since high school and I said, 'Well, I'm coming along.' And then we made it into a habit. We fit it into our lives. That was the trick. It was a lunch thing," 

But their friendship actually extends back further than their lunchtime blood donations. The pair met walking to school in Grade 2 at Glen Rush Public School near Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West.

They've been lifelong friends whose families are also close.

And these two blood brothers have racked up some impressive stats — hitting a milestone Friday at the Canadian Blood Services blood donor clinic in the Manulife Centre.

Seligman and Young have made 250 donations between them. Young has hit 50.  Seligman has 200 under his belt because he also gives platelets. That's the part of the blood that helps form clots to stop bleeding. If a blood vessel gets damaged, it sends out signals that are picked up by platelets, which causes them to form a clot in a process called aggregation.

Seligman says his platelets "could be going to someone undergoing cancer treatment, it could be someone having a transplant, somebody having transfusion. So that's why it's the gift of giving. it's really simple."

The manager of the Manulife Centre blood clinic, Nancy Banning, says it also the reason she has seen Seligman so often over the decades.

"When you donate platelets it's only two weeks in between because we return the red blood cells. When you donate whole blood it's 56 days in between donations because the red blood cells need to rejuvenate," says Banning.

Canadian Blood Services hopes Torontonians take some inspiration from the two friends who have made giving blood part of their routine for decades.

"Make it a social event. Go out for a meal before or after like these men do," said Beth Frise of Canadian Blood Services, adding that one clinic would collect enough for 50 units of blood.

"That's potentially what one person would need who was involved in a serious car accident," she said.

"This is something you can do that you know will have an immediate impact it's very tangible and very direct it feels good," says Young.

After donating, the pair shared a cake to celebrate Seligman's upcoming birthday on Sunday, to mark a long friendship, and their regular habit of saving lives together.