Florida man donates 100 gallons of blood after wife dies of cancer

A Florida man was devastated when his wife died of cancer. He wanted to do something good in her honor and memory.The Lake Park man decided to donate blood to help other people suffering from cancer.

Harold Mendenhall, 84, started giving blood, on July 7, 1977 after his wife’s death. Now, the proud South Florida man has reached a rare milestone. He is credited with donating 100 gallons of blood. He had donated 100 gallons which is the equivalent to the amount of blood inside 66 adult male bodies.

Part of his blood donation was platelets, a blood product. OneBlood blood bank spokesperson said: “The platelets are donated to help cancer patients.”

Mendenhall started donating blood and platelets after his wife, Frankie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her death, Mendenhall said he was brokenhearted. One day, on his way home from work, he stopped by the blood bank, and then is when he started donating regularly.

Although he has no idea who is receiving his donations, he knows that many people are being helped through his generosity. Mendenhall said that the blood donation helped him cope with the loss of his wife and later, his two children.