by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Giving is definitely in the blood for milestone donor Trevor Bergman.
Last month, the police officer from Noble Park made an incredible 500th donation to Red Cross Lifeblood – a commitment that has spanned 39 years.
He’s following the lead of his blood-donating parents Audrey and Don, with his brothers and sisters also rolling up their sleeves.
Every fortnight, Bergman sits down at the blood-extracting machine at Mt Waverley Donor Centre to donate plasma – and sometimes also platelets.
In 1985, inspired by his parent’s volunteering spirit, he started donating blood at age 18.
For about 15 years, he was restricted to donating only whole blood every three months because of the need for his rare blood type.
Since then, he’s been allowed to donate plasma. He estimates he’s gifted about 40 litres of blood and components over that time – about eight times the amount that’s in the human body.
“My health is still good. I hope it stays that way for a long time and I keep going to help other people.”
Bergman says about one in three people rely on the generosity of the one-in-30 Australians who donate to Lifeblood for treatment with blood products.
“Anyone can donate if you’re healthy enough.
“I have always encouraged others to join with a simple message that they can help others.
“Australia would be a much poorer place to live in without the generosity of the large amount of people who donate their time to not only Lifeblood but to so many other organisations and charities.”
