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Blood donations by Canfield teacher reach 17-gallon mark
CANFIELD
Julie Sue Kercher, a retired Canfield High School English teacher, has donated 17 gallons of whole blood to the American Red Cross over the last 35 years.
She reached the 17-gallon level Dec. 11, and not wasting any time, is scheduled to start on her 18th gallon Feb. 5.
Put in perspective, 17 gallons, or 136 pints, would fill the gasoline tank of a large car or about 31/2 five-gallon buckets of paint.
Each pint can touch three lives, meaning Julie’s 136 pints potentially helped 408 people, said Katy Berger, communications associate for the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Blood Services Region.
Whole blood is separated into blood cells, which can be used for a trauma victim; platelets, which are given to cancer patients whose platelets have been reduced by chemotherapy; and plasma, which is often used to help the healing process of burn victims, Berger said.
Julie said her father, Robert Kercher, who served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War, inspired her to become a blood donor.
“As a child, I remember him going to give blood. I always wanted to please him,” she said.
“We were neck and neck” donating blood Julie said of herself and her father, 90, who donated more than 10 gallons before becoming ill.
“Now I tell him that half of every pint I give is for him,” she said.
Being a retired school- teacher, Julie said she doesn’t have a lot of money to donate to causes.
“Giving blood is something I can do that will help other people. All it takes is a little time. It’s something I’m proud to do,” she said.
Julie, who taught sophomore English, honors and college-preparatory English and public speaking at Canfield High School for 31 years, began giving blood when she was a freshman at Bowling Green State University.
She has given regularly since then, only occasionally deferred because her blood pressure was up or her iron count down.
To avoid being deferred, she does deep breathing exercises to keep her blood pressure down and eats almonds or chocolate to boost her iron just before donating. If those don’t work, she just tries again a week later.
Julie donates at the Red Cross Donor Center in Austintown at 57 Westchester Drive.
“It is convenient, and because I make an appointment, it doesn’t take long. They are so nice there and very good at what they do. They are very careful. I hardly feel it anymore when I donate,” she said.
The Kercher family moved from Flint, Mich., to Canfield in 1971 when General Motors transferred Robert to the GM Lordstown Complex, where he was supervisor of salaried personnel until retiring in 1981.
Everyone in the family is or has been a Red Cross blood donor.
Julie’s mother, Miriam, has given blood although records of the amount are not available. Julie’s sister, Jill Kercher of Warren, a retired Warren city schools special needs teacher, has donated 3.3 gallons.
The family also donates in other ways.
Julie said her parents and sister have arranged to donate their bodies to science at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown, and she said she plans to do the same in the near future. Also, they are listed as organ donors on their driver’s licenses.
Julie bags food for Operation Blessing, based at Canfield Presbyterian Church, for food giveaways. Her father also worked at least three days a week for Operation Blessing when he was active in the organization, she said.
Busy taking care of her parents, with Jill’s help, she says she does not have time to miss teaching that much.
She said, however, “I miss the kids — I tried to make English fun for them — and my colleagues. But I don’t miss the bells and the meetings and grading term papers. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Julie, whose blood type is A-positive, said she plans to continue donating blood until “I can’t do it anymore.”
She thinks 30 or 40 gallons is a realistic goal and is talking about giving enough blood to fill the fuel tank of a truck.