Lucas Meyers

As reported in the Sacramento Bee on Monday, May 24, 2009 by Sarah Frier: "Needles don't faze 16 year-old Lucas Myers. He's been donating blood and plasma since last fall, and now he's four pints short of 10 gallons - a notable achievement, considering it takes most adults 13 years to reach that volume of giving.

Every Saturday at 6:30 a.m., when phlebotomists at the Midtown BloodSource draw from the same spot on his right arm, he just thinks about the littlke girl at his church with leukemia. "Sophia has to get needles up her arm too. I'm sure she doesn't like it, but she doesn't have a choice," he said. "So that's what helps me do it." But it's not all martydom. It's been fun, too. Myers always arrives with his dad, Gary, who's donated about 170 gallons since college. The two have contests to see who can finish fastest. Lucas Myers has only won a couple times, but phlebotomist Elaine Smith said that's no measure of enthusiasm. Dad has bigger veins. Smyth, who has worked at BloodSource more than 10 years, has nevert seen anybody reach 10 gallons at age 16.

Because he's donating plasma, not whole blood, it's not as debilitating for Myers as it might sound. His blood is spun around a centrifuge to separate the plasma from red blood cells, which are put back through the needle and into his bloodstream. Regular donors have to wait four weeks before they donate plasma again, but Myers has doctor's approval to do it every two days through a frequent donor program.