Blood Donor Goes the Distance

Mt. Laurel is about an hour’s drive from our center, but that doesn’t stop Delane Weltch from making the trip. He believes that donating blood is a civic duty. “I feel like I’ve got to give something back to the community, somehow,” he states. “Sometime you may be in a position where you need a transfusion.” He also points to the fact that he has several family members who have sickle cell anemia. “I’m lucky; I don’t have it. But they regularly need transfusions.”

That’s real commitment. And what makes it even sweeter is that Delane is Type O-. He’s a universal donor, and makes the most of his donation by donating on the ALYX – giving us a double unit of red cells.

Delane’s community service doesn’t end with his blood donations, either. Even his job is community-service based. He works as an assistant supervisor and drug counselor at the homeless shelter on Perry Street in Trenton. He made his first blood donation in 2002, when he worked at McGraw-Hill. “I did it originally for the breakfast and cookies, and they gave us the day off,” he says. “Now, it’s the right thing to do.” Earlier this year, Delane was discharged from the Army. He currently attends Burlington County Community College, where he is studying criminal justice and law enforcement.