Louise is a regular at her local gym, teaching a weekly cross-fit class and spending time there unwinding. When she’s not working on her own health and fitness, she’s also a regular at her local OneBlood donation center.

“Every other Sunday I go and I give platelets,” she said. “I’m almost at 53 gallons, so that’s about 10-plus years of both blood and platelet donations.”

She uses her time in the chair to share photos of the donation process on her Instagram account, encouraging her followers to step up and donate themselves.

“There’s a lot of people who see my social media page and say, ‘Why do you keep giving?’” Louise said.

She sees those questions as an opportunity to spread the message about the need for donations and explain just how important it is to give. 

Louise understands that for some, it’s not about lifting weights or doing cardio to improve their health. For many patients in the hospital, their health can depend on blood or platelet transfusions. And those lifesaving blood products can only come from volunteer donors like her.

OneBlood’s lifesaving mission became even more personal to Louise as she watched her own father battle prostate cancer. He has received numerous blood and platelet transfusions throughout his treatment. The importance of those donations is not lost on Louise.