CHRIS JENNINGS / HERALD DEMOCRAT Walter Butterworth donates his 25th gallon of blood on Monday at the Texoma Regional Blood Center in Sherman.

BY MARY JANE FARMER

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Like clockwork, Walter Butterworth Sr. has climbed the steps to the Texoma Regional Blood Center four times a year, for about 33 years, giving a gift that has helped save countless lives -- his blood.

Monday marked the donation that brought Butterworth's contributions up to 25 gallons, or 200 pints of blood donated. For that gift, Texoma blood bank officials presented him with a gift of their own, a clock, to honor the man who remains dedicated to helping people survive.

Blood Center Director of Donor Resources Deedee Morehead said Monday's donation has made him their leading donor, but as importantly, they recognize just how many others he has led to become donors just by his example. His wife, Sara, and their two sons, David Butterworth and Art Butterworth, are donors.

"Every pint of blood helps three people," Morehead said, when asking just how far Butterworth's generosity has gone.

Butterworth, who Morehead had described as a "modest, humble man," said when asked why he has been so diligent in giving blood, "I don't have a good answer, I guess it's just because I can. I'm not looking for anything." He said he never thought the count would get as high as it has or that there would be such a hullabaloo about it.

"God gave me the right to do it, and I felt it in my heart that I need to keep on doing it," he said. He waits each time until he receives a letter in the mail, sent to past donors asking for them to give again. "When the letter comes in the mail, I automatically go."

He also is a little stunned that it's been about 33 years, counting it back to the years he worked with Texas Instruments. "I was with T.I. for 35 and a half years and I didn't give the first two years I was there," Butterworth said. During the years, he's been giving "doubles," or two units on each visit. Butterworth agreed to talk with the media about being a blood donor and also agreed to become involved with an advertising campaign for blood donations because, he said, "People need to get active. I'm hoping this will encourage people (to become donors.)"

The first couple of times, he said, he didn't know what to expect and was pretty nervous. "But even as often as I have donated, I still clinch. I know what is going to happen, and for a short moment I get nervous, but it doesn't hurt."

Morehead said the public has been very generous at times, such as this year's bus crash in Sherman that claimed 17 lives. She said more than 400 people showed up in the days following that crash at the Texoma Regional Blood Center building on Texoma Parkway to donate blood. The Center's Bloodmobile is seen often at events or locations, a way the Center tries to make it simpler for people to donate. And, they offer friendly challenges between, as an example, police and fire departments as another way to encourage people to give the gift of life.

"You can go every four months and give two pints or every two months and give one pint," Butterworth explained, talking about the "double red cell apheresis" process.

Morehead said the double red cell method is a benefit to the donor and the recipient. In this method, all the donor's plasma and platelets, plus 50 ml of saline, are returned to the donor and it reduces the recipient's exposure to multiple blood donors, since two units are from one donor.

"There's not any substitute for blood," Butterworth said. "Without people giving blood, there's less chance for people to make it through surgery or car wreck or whatever."

The Texoma Regional Blood Center is open from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 am.-1 p.m. on Saturday. A blood donor should plan on being there for about an hour to take care of paperwork and preparation before the actual donation.

For more information on becoming a blood donor, call the Center at 903-893-4314 or go to 3911 N. Texoma Parkway in Sherman.