Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.
By CHELSEA JENSEN
Stephens Media
Holualoa resident Jay Tomokiyo has donated enough blood over the past four decades to fill the veins of 10 grown men.
Even with 211 pints, the equivalent of 26.3 gallons, of blood donated under his belt, the 60-year-old has no plans anytime soon to stop his once-every-eight-weeks donation to the Blood Bank of Hawaii.
Tomokiyo, who has type O blood, said he first donated in 1972 while stationed on Oahu with the U.S. Navy in exchange for three hours holiday leave, and he has not stopped since. He also claims giving blood helps his body renew itself because it has to replace the blood lost during the donation.
“I won’t stop because I am healthy and can still donate. It’s a privilege and an honor to give blood to those who need it,” said Tomokiyo, who is also the island’s top blood donor. “I’ve been giving blood for 40 years now, it’s an honor to help the community.”
Tomokiyo was one of 24 donors who’ve given at least 65 pints of blood — including 12 who’ve given more than 100 pints — to be honored Tuesday by the Blood Bank of Hawaii during a recognition luncheon held at the Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona. Also honored was Kailua-Kona resident Michael Medina, the only Big Isle resident who flies to Oahu to donate platelets to the blood bank, with 147 platelet units donated since 1991.
In all, the donors have supplied more than 2,000 pints of blood — enough to supply at least 200 grown men with the necessary 10 to 12 pints the body needs, said Blood Bank of Hawaii Director of Communications Laurie Chang.
The recognition also comes in conjunction with January’s National Blood Donor Month, which sets aside time to honor blood donors and volunteers, and stress the importance of donating blood, Chang said.
“There is a great need for blood and there is no substitute for it,” she said. “Every day patients in Hawaii County depend on a healthy blood supply for survival. These are people who have really made the commitment to save lives.”
The Blood Bank of Hawaii requires an estimated 200 pints of blood daily to supply the state’s 19 hospitals, including Hilo Medical Center and North Hawaii Community, Kona Community, Ka’u and Kohala hospitals, said Chang. It is the only community blood bank in Hawaii.
Statewide in 2011, 25,370 donors gave 58,181 pints of blood, she said. That equated to some 90,336 blood products, which includes blood, platelets and plasma.
On the Big Island, 1,702 donors donated some 4,029 pints of blood last year, she said. The island, however, used more than it donated at 6,380 pints.
This time of year, following the holidays, as well as during the summer, blood donations to the Blood Bank of Hawaii often fall, making those able to donate increasingly important, Chang said.
The bank comes every other month to the Big Island to hold drives in Kailua-Kona, Waimea and Hilo, she said.
Penny Franklin, an 11-year Kailua-Kona resident who has donated 169 pints, or just one pint over 21 gallons, said more people in the community need to donate simply to help others.
“I wish every one would because it helps a lot of people when you are able to give,” she said. “I started in my early 20s and have always kept giving and have got everyone else to start, too.”
Basic blood donor requirements include being in good health, being age 18, or age 17 with parental consent, and weighing at least 110 pounds, according to the blood bank.
For more information on donating blood and future drives, visit bbh.org or call the bank’s Honolulu headquarters at 845-9966.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.