Dustin is passionate about donating blood to advance research. Here’s why.
Why is Research Important to You?
Since I’ve been diabetic for nearly 27 years, I am a big supporter of stem cell research. I’ve seen a lot of advances in science in regards to diabetes ever since I got it when I was 14.
I know what it is like firsthand to live with something that I didn’t ask for. There are some days when I have to force myself to go out and do things. I mean I have a 6-year-old son that I have to take care of. I have to go to work. I have to do normal life things every day, and it can be hard a lot of times with diabetes.
What types of blood donations have you made?
I actually started with whole blood. I believe I’ve done maybe two or three whole blood donations. Then I was really interested in bone marrow. I went in and I did it and it actually wasn’t too bad. The whole experience is honestly not more than five or six minutes long from start to finish. I’ve done it eight times.
What inspires you to donate?
My one donation is not just going to help one person. That one donation, they could look under the microscope and whatever other cool things they do, they could end up seeing something that could potentially help 50,000 people in this study group. Knowing that maybe I was a person who could have helped with that, that would be great. That would be really good.
Many others share Dustin’s same passion for research. Meet Terra.
