“It’s just our routine now.” For Caroline and George, saving lives has become a family hobby. In honor of Father’s Day on June 15^th, we caught up with these two OneBlood donors on their donation experience and why donating blood is special to them.

Father-daughter OneBlood donors, Caroline and George.

Donating Blood for the First Time

This father-daughter duo first started donating blood back in 2020. Caroline had just moved back home from college due to the pandemic. She had always wanted to donate, but being a competitive swimmer in high school and college made it difficult.

The pandemic offered her a chance to finally donate. “I think she just wanted to do something good in the face of everything bad that was happening,” said George. Caroline brought her dad along with her for their first blood donation at the Winter Park Donor Center. (“Shoutout to Nicole, Liz, and Orion, the phlebotomist team!”)

O-negative Blood Donors

After donating, they found out they were both O-negative. People with O-negative blood are universal blood donors. Their blood can be transfused to any patient, regardless of the recipient’s blood type.

“When we realized we were both O-negative, we knew this was something that we should keep doing,” said Caroline. “And we recently found out that we’re also both CMV negative, which means our blood can go to babies. So, we have to do it.”

Caroline and George donating blood together.

Father-Daughter Time

Besides knowing that their blood donation is helping save lives, Caroline and George also enjoy donating as a chance to catch up. “If we haven’t seen each other in a couple weeks, it's a good opportunity to spend time together,” said George.

They started a tradition of a steak night before donating to boost their iron levels. They’ve also turned donating into a friendly competition. “We compete over who has the better pulse, temperature, blood pressure, cholesterol, and iron,” said Caroline. “And over who has the fastest bleed time. I think we're both around seven minutes!”

Why Donate Blood

Donating blood has become even more meaningful for Caroline since she began working at OneBlood in 2024. “It adds a personal passion behind my work,” she says. “I think donating blood is just a really easy, good thing that people can do, but unfortunately not a lot of people think of doing it.”

For George, he sees giving blood as his way of giving back while also checking up on his own health. “The more I’ve donated the more I’ve learned how important it is,” he said. “It’s something I can do to help… you get to learn your blood type, get a little checkup, and help people in the process.”

Caroline celebrating her 3-gallon donation milestone and George celebrating his 2-gallon milestone.

Recently having achieved her 3-gallon milestone, with her dad only one donation away from catching up to her, Caroline’s next goal is to get a Message My Donor. “To get an anonymous thank you message from the people your blood donation is helping… that would be amazing!”

Join Caroline and George in making donating blood a family tradition. Celebrate Father’s Day by giving blood with a family member or loved one at a OneBlood Donor Center or Big Red Bus near you.