CORDELE – “I’ve been donating blood since 1973,” Cordele resident, Merilyn Guerry said. Merilyn was at the monthly Cordele Community Blood Drive on Tuesday, January 9. Merilyn sits down in a reclining chair in the Cordele Community Clubhouse, ready to donate another pint of blood. This time is different though, because this pint brings her to a whopping total of 22 gallons of blood donated in her lifetime. That’s 176 pints of blood.

“I think it’s a good chance to do some good instead of just talking about it,” Guerry said.

Guerry not only has been donating blood for the last 45 years, she also ran the local blood drive with her husband, Lee Guerry.

“Mr. Rainey asked us to run the blood drive in the late 70s for five or six years,” Guerry said.

Guerry was unable to donate blood last month because her iron levels were too low. So now Guerry is back this month ready to go with a “rapid pass.”

A rapid pass means that donators have already answered interview questions via email before coming in to donate blood. This will speed up the time it takes to donate blood since there’s an initial interview process before blood donation can begin.

The Cordele Community Blood Drive is every second Tuesday of every

month from 1-6 p.m. at the Cordele Community Clubhouse located at 108 15th Ave E. The next blood drive will be on Tuesday, February 6.