Carol Girdler has been a faithful donor at the DeGowin Blood Center for nearly 25 years. During this time she has donated matched platelets or white cells on Christmas, New Year’s Eve/Day, in the middle of the night or when ever she was called upon. She has donated platelets and white cells well over 200 times since she has been a donor with us. She has done this all without complaint because she knows there is a patient who needs the product.

Carol is a faculty member for the University of Iowa and teaches PE and health.  The University hosts a Health Fair twice a year and the DeGowin Blood Center has a blood drive in conjunction with the Health Fair. Carol has taken it upon herself to promote this drive among her students. She offers them extra credit to donate blood (and an alternative for those who can’t donate). She also spends time lecturing them on the importance of donating blood.  She has enlisted other instructors to do the same.  Because of this we have seen as many as 80 donors at these drives.

Carol promotes blood donation wherever she goes and truly believes it is an obligation of healthy eligible people to give back to their communities in this way. She is excited and enthusiastic and passes on that enthusiasm to others. She is a gold mine to us and she is more than a donor to us, she is a friend.