Blood drive brings Nebraska couple together

By Ashley Peterson-DeLuca

About 30 years ago, Ron Nelson was helping his mother, a blood drive coordinator, by setting up tables for a blood drive in his hometown of Minden, Nebraska. Because he was there anyway, he decided to give blood.

Fast-forward a half a lifetime later, Nelson has since donated 145 pints of blood products, almost enough to fill an F-150 gas tank. Each pint donated has the potential to save multiple lives.

Nelson is now a Power Red donor. A Power Red donation starts like a whole blood donation except a machine returns his plasma and platelets, allowing him to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation. Red cells from a Power Red donation are typically given to trauma patients, newborns, people with sickle cell anemia and anyone suffering blood loss.

Ron and his wife, Kate.

“It is a good habit for a good cause,” says Nelson.

He keeps up with his donation schedule by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app.

“We only have about five blood drives a year in Minden,” says Nelson. “Thank goodness for the app. I can look for a blood drive in the small towns around me.”

It was at one of these blood drives in south central Nebraska where Nelson met his future wife, Kate.

“Kate is an account manager with the Red Cross and was hosting the blood drive. While I was there, we just got to talking,” remembers Nelson. “We never would have met otherwise.”

After dating for over three years, they recently got married in an intimate ceremony with 35 close relatives in attendance. They live together in Kearney, Nebraska, and travel around the country on Nelson’s blue Harley Davidson motorcycle. Nelson, now retired from corn and soybean farming, has ridden a motorcycle in every U.S. state at least once.

Even when traveling, Nelson doesn’t miss a blood donation. He uses the app to find a blood drive.

“I always look for the Red Cross blood drives,” he says.

Nelson has also gotten his friends and neighbors to give regularly.

“If everyone brings a friend to give blood, we can double the amount donated,” says Nelson.

With Holiday Blood Drives happening through the end of December, there are plenty of opportunities to give blood. Find a drive near you—and bring a friend: https://www.redcrossblood.org/