Blood bond links father, son
Sitting on the table of snacks meant to keep blood donors from fainting — cookies, crackers and the like — is a homemade birthday cake with a single candle rising from its top.
It would be a coincidence if one of the dozens of blood donors gathered inside the gymnasium at Calvary Community Church happened to be celebrating a Jan. 9 birthday.
Odder still would be if that birthday boy or girl brought with them a cake.
So, how strange would it be if two men were celebrating their birthdays by donating blood?
What if they were father and son?
What if their donations yesterday brought the cumulative tally of times they’ve given blood to a staggering 99?
That is what happened when Harvey Fehr and his son, Jason, walked in from the snowy Calvary parking lot and placed that birthday cake on the table of goodies.
“It was a random thing,” Harvey, celebrating his 52nd birthday, told KTW.
“We discovered it when we booked our appointments.”
Harvey’s wife made the cake.
“It’s red velvet,” he said.
“She thought it had to be red something because we’re donating blood.”
Harvey has been giving blood since he was 17. His mother used to be a regular blood donor as well, and she got him into it.
Wednesday, Jan. 9, marked Harvey’s 89th donation. Jason, who turned 25, was on his 10th.
He started five years ago, when a close family friend became ill and required 40 units of blood. The feeling of helping others has kept him coming back.
“It’s just the fact that I’m able to help,” he said. “Everybody needs blood in the hospital and mine is a fairly common type, so I just help out any way I can.”
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