During the season of giving, one local man recently marked nearly three decades of selflessness.
On Saturday, just days before Christmas, 57-year-old Orin Albrecht of Aurora gave his 500th blood donation at Vitalant in Naperville. Staff at the facility where he donates regularly surprised him with a small celebration, helping him commemorate the milestone.
“Donors like Orin are vital. They’re so important and rare…Platelets only have a shelf life of 5 to 7 days. Trauma victims [and] cancer patients need platelets constantly, so frequent donors like Orin are vital to our community,” said Ann Sterling, communications manager for Vitalant.
Blood donor since 1996
Albrecht first started donating blood with Vitalant around 1996 as a way to give back to the community. He later realized he could increase his impact if he gave platelets, so that’s what he did.
“With blood, you can only donate once every eight weeks. Platelets, you can donate once every week up to 24 times in a year. And you know, I figure if I can do that more frequently, I can help more people that way,” said Albrecht.
His motivation for donating was further cemented more recently after meeting Vitalant employee Ruby Galvez-Magana. Galvez-Magana, now employed at Vitalant’s Westmont location, previously worked at the Naperville location and regularly attended to Albrecht.
A special bond elevates 500th blood donation
The two became friends over the years, often exchanging stories as he donated blood. One day in 2021, she shared with Albrecht that her daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of pediatric cancer.
Galvez-Magana explained that her daughter needed blood transfusions regularly, creating a trying and stressful time for her family, but also showing her firsthand the importance of donating platelets.
“When my daughter went through her treatments every cycle of it, which for her was every week, the counts would drop, so platelets, red cells, everything would go down to zero. So that’s pretty much what she would get first, as a transfusion, was red cells and platelets,” she said. “We talked through it all during his donations, and we just had more of a bonding, him donating, where I could see where it starts and where it ends.”
For Albrecht, hearing his friend’s story highlighted the importance of his continued donations. He personally requested that she be present to help him celebrate his 500th donation.
“Why we’re here is to help each other, and this is one of the ways that I can do it. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s just two hours out of my time. It’s a good thing to do,” he said.
Now a platinum-level Vitalant blood donor, Albrecht said he’s not backing down and is already looking forward to his next milestone.
“I’m glad to have been part of this for so many years, and I’m looking forward to continuing to do it. Let’s bring on 600,” he said.
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