Saskatoon man honoured for donating blood 122 times

For about two decades, Dean Wilyman has been donating blood on a regular basis.

"The first time, I was encouraged to do so by a friend and co-worker during one of Canadian Blood Service's remote locations," Wilyman told CBC radio's Saskatoon Morning.

You know that you're giving that gift of life to someone.- Dean Wilyman

"And I've been giving ever since."

So far, he's been able to donate 122 times.

"The first time around you know it's a really good thing to do," he explained. "After a while you sort of become more committed to it."                                                     

Firsthand impact

He said he's been able to see firsthand how much the donations can make an impact.

He watched his mother in the hospital get bag after bag of blood during her stay. Over seven days, she needed about 20 bags of blood.

"When you give whole blood, you can only give every six or every eight weeks, about six times a year," he said. 

"So when you think about it, that's three years of giving to make up for that one patient… You see, you know, how critical it is to somebody and you see the quantity of blood that is needed."

Recently, his blood has been matched with a patient's in Alberta.

"It's a very selfless gift," said Wilyman. "You have no idea who the recipient of the blood is. But you know that you're giving that gift of life to someone."

Wilyman will be among the frequent blood donors being honoured by the Canadian Blood Services Tuesday evening in Saskatoon.