As a retired firefighter of 28 years, I was feeling a little less useful in retirement. Years of trying to give to my community, comes to an end and all of a sudden you feel less useful. Then someone told me about donating blood. I never realized the importance of donating blood until it was explained to me. I now give platelets regularly and my donation goes to deserving cancer patients who need them badly because of shortages and sensitive (5 day) shelf life.