Long-time Eagle Grove resident, the late Nick Mersch, donated more than 16 gallons of blood throughout his lifetime. He told me once, at the age of 93, that he really “didn’t think it was a big deal,” but in fact, it really was. Since they say one pint of blood can potentially save three lives, and there are eight pints in a gallon, that means Mersch saved more than 384 lives. How many people can say that?
Mersch would have turned 100 years old on December 14 this year. In his honor, his daughter, Colleen Bartlett, also an Eagle Grove resident, is hosting an event she knows he would have been honored to be a part of – a blood drive. It will be held on at Memorial Hall on December 15 from 1:30 – 7 p.m. She is hoping to have enough donations to save 100 lives in honor of his 100th birthday.
Mersch started donating blood after he got out of the Navy in 1948. He said he “did it because he could,” and that it “became a habit for a worthy cause.”
As her dad’s birthday got closer, the generosity of her dad stayed on her mind. She knew she wanted to do something to honor this milestone birthday, and thought this would be the perfect way to celebrate his life, and honor the life he literally gave to others.
“We always told him not to give all his blood away because we (six children, 15 grandchildren, and multiple great-grandchildren) might need it someday,” Bartlett said jokingly in a 2014 interview about her dad’s blood donations.
But he continued to do so for as long as he could, because he knew the life he might be saving one day just might be that of someone else who calls Eagle Grove home.
Bartlett said about the upcoming blood drive, “December is a good time to give…and giving blood is the perfect gift that costs no money…I wanted to do something to honor my dad and figured (holding a blood drive in his name) was the best thing I could do.”
Pre-registration is required and can be completed by visiting lifeservebloodcenter.com or calling 1-800-287-4903. If you need a little more incentive to donate, did you know that someone needs blood every two seconds? Less than 10 percent of the U.S. population who meets blood donation criteria actually donates. One in seven people entering a hospital needs blood. Fifteen different tests (11 of which are for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood. One unit of blood can be separated into several components: red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. The plasma is even more important than ever in this time of COVID, and you can also donate it during the Nick Mersch blood drive event.
Plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is rich in antibodies used to fight or prevent infection. If you were confirmed to have COVID-19, your body may be producing specific COVID antibodies. These can be used in current COVID patients as a form of treatment. To be eligible for this special donor program, you must have had a confirmed positive test for Coronavirus OR have received a COVID diagnosis from your physician. You must also be fully recovered and symptom free for 14 days. Pre-assessment forms must be completed in advance of donation by visiting the same above website – www. lifeservebloodcenter.org.
LifeServe will be at Memorial Hall on December 15 from 1:30 – 7 p.m. Make your reservation today. Bartlett is thrilled to say that times are already being filled quite quickly. “If you can’t give that day, that’s okay too,” said Bartlett.
You can still donate somewhere else in honor of her dad. She just asks that you let her know you did it so she can add your donation to the overall unit count to see if they meet or exceed their goal of enough blood to save 100 lives.
Every donation counts. In this season of giving, there is nothing better than giving the gift of life.
Mersch himself said it best back in 2014 when he first shared his story of being a 16+ gallon donor, “The benefits far exceed the limited restrictions.”
