Kathy Watson, Barbara Finkbeiner and Sharon Rife.
Donation days start with breakfast together at a local favorite, the Golden Nugget, to make sure the “three sisters” are hydrated and well nourished before their jaunt downtown. After catching up on family affairs, the trio makes its way Community Blood Center to donate three pints of “*Red Gold.”
“I don’t remember why I started donating,” reminisced Barbara Finkbeiner whose given blood 29 times. “My mom had a blood disorder, but it may have been my sister who got me started.”
Sharon Rife, a 43-time donor gave blood for years before recruiting Barbara to give. The pair, who grew up in Dayton, then recruited their sister-in-law Kathy Watson, now a 27-time donor. The threesome has a goal of making five donations a year together.
“Sometimes we get deferred,” chuckled Barbara. “Last summer, all three of us got deferred for low iron on one trip. So we came back in a week and we were all fine to donate.”
Not only does donating blood keep the sisters close, together they have given blood 99 times between them. That’s a lot of “second chances” for area hospital patients in need of a hero.
*Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood http://www.pbs.org/wnet/redgold/journey/index.html
“A Sisters’ Outing Community Blood Center LifeGuardian”
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