HAYS COUNTY, Texas — There's no question that becoming a blood donor is a way to help others in need and to help save lives. We Are Blood gives Central Texans the opportunity to donate blood, plasma or platelets, which millions of Americans need to survive and fight cancer, chronic diseases and traumatic injuries.
No one knows that more than Mel Barrentine.
"You see this whole bag? It's filled with so many sweatshirts," Barrentine said.
He has collected a lot of swag throughout the years. Every blood or platelet donation earns him a baseball cap or T-shirt.
He's been donating platelets exclusively since 1999 – and he has a specific reason why.
His wife, Randi, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 32. For four years, she bravely fought the disease with chemotherapy and blood treatments.
But the cancer came back. She needed a bone marrow transplant, and doctors turned to Barrentine for help.
"So, they designated me as her platelet donor," he said. "And the deal was, she was at MD Anderson for six weeks for treatment and I was working here in Austin. And so, the deal was that if they needed platelets the next day, they called me. I told my boss, 'I'm not here tomorrow.' I would drive to Houston, donate my platelets and drive back. So I was able to help her through that treatment."
Barrentine's platelet donations extended his wife's life for several more years, though sadly, she eventually died in 1998 at the age of 45.
Since then, Barrentine tries to donate platelets every two weeks. His wife is his reason why.
He donates in her honor and in honor of the people before him who helped supply her with platelets while she was getting chemo.
"I think when you love someone, you really want to support them. And that comes in many forms," Barrentine said. "And if she had a medical condition and I had the capability to help her, as opposed to me having some deficiencies that wouldn't allow me to give, then you're going to do that for the person you love."
Barrentine has a twin sister named Melanie. Her husband was also diagnosed with the same type of cancer and battled the disease for two years. Barrentine said his journey with his wife allowed him to help his sister with her journey with her husband.