MORRISON, Ill. — A nation-wide blood shortage has health and donation centers asking for public help. One man from Morrison is stepping-up for the cause, something he's done hundreds of times in his life.
Lyle Bush, 80, once again volunteered to donate blood for the 233rd time on Thursday.
According to Cedars-Sinai.org, the average adult has about 10-pints of blood in their body, and a typical donation takes about one pint.
In his lifetime, nearly 30-gallons of blood donations have come from Bush.
If my math is correct, that means Bush's total blood donations would have drained or filled the average adult human three times.
As someone who is used to working on farms, Bush said it's kind of of similar to milking cows.
"I'm a retired farmer and used to milk cows," Bush said. "Think metal cans. They're 10-gallon cans, so I've almost filled the third. I've got a couple more pints to go, then I'll have three cans full."
Bush's Type 'O' blood makes him part of an exclusive group of adults that have not been exposed to the CMV virus.
The flu-like virus infects one in three children by age five, and over half of adults contract CMV by age 40, according to the CDC.
This makes Lyle's blood critically important for newborn babies in need of a transfusion.
The American Red Cross says dangerously low-blood supply levels have forced some hospitals to defer patients from major surgeries including organ transplants.
Anyone interested in donating can click here for more information.