HARTFORD -- After September 11th, 16 years ago, donors rolled up their sleeves to give blood.
Buddy Buder hasn't stopped giving, in fact the Red Cross of Connecticut is recognizing Buder for 50 years of donating blood. Inspired to give blood after a football injury in his teen years, Buder reached a milestone this week, donating his 30th gallon of blood at a drive in downtown Hartford. "Blood is a medicine," Buder, 67, from Windsor said, "it's a medicine and it can only come from people like myself and other donors."
Peter Boucher, who is an account executive from the Red Cross of Connecticut said Buder has given 240 pints cumulatively in his five decades of blood donations. Boucher noted that Buder serves as an inspiration for others to donate blood. "We really welcome first time donors to come in and make a difference."
Buder remarked that he always tries to donate blood around the September 11th observance. "I lost a couple of friends who passed away on September 11th and in a way this is like a tribute to them." Buder added that blood donation is a gift that can go a long way, "you will be thankful that you did it," he said.
To find out how to donate blood click Redcrossblood.org