Blood Donor Shares Her Love for the Red Cross

From blood donation to teaching classes, to installing smoke alarms, Doris Dunn has done it all.

And – she’s been doing it since she was a teenager.

One of Dunn’s first experiences with the Red Cross was a first aid class, which she took when she was 13 years old. The class was very meaningful to her. “I really enjoyed it and wanted to pass it on,” she said.

For Dunn, there was a longing to do more – so she was trained to teach first aid, and she returned to her elementary school to share her knowledge with students.

Years later, Dunn was hit with tragedy. 

“Sadly, my mom got cancer,” Dunn said. “They found it too late.”

During her mother’s last month, Dunn’s mother needed a pint of blood every other day to stay alive and receive her treatment. That’s when Dunn made a promise to give back the gift of life, just as many people had done to help her mother.

“I vowed to give that blood back, so in my early 20s is when I started donating blood,” she said. That promise would be a commitment that lasted more than two decades.

“I donated blood in Nashville, then I moved to California and was there for 17 years and continued to donate blood.”

Eventually, the Red Cross asked Dunn if she could help in a different way – by donating platelets. It’s a time-consuming process, but that didn’t stop her.

“I want to make sure if I can save lives, or help prolong someone’s life with a ten-minute blood donation or platelet donation, why wouldn’t I do it?” Dunn said.

“I feel like it’s my duty as a citizen of the world to do that.”

In addition to donating blood, Dunn’s involvement with the Red Cross has included being part of the Tiffany Circle, a group of women who make an extraordinary commitment of time and money to the organization. Dunn became a member while living in California after her company made a donation to the Red Cross.

“I was very active with them,” Dunn said, “I participated in sending letters to the military at Christmas time, and helping to organize blood drives.”

Now a former member of the group, she continues her commitment to the Red Cross.

“They’re right there after the catastrophe,” she said. “In big disasters, and home fires, the Red Cross will give people the help they need. I think that’s a powerful story.”


Story by Chris Peralta, American Red Cross volunteer