Father and son have donated more than 70 gallons of blood

Published 6:39 pm Wednesday, May 13, 2015

LYNNWOOD — The first time Douglas Kerley gave blood, it was during combat in Vietnam.

He watched as a fellow soldier who’d been wounded regained his color after a transfusion of Kerley’s blood.

To him, it seemed like a miracle, and that’s still the case.

Now 66 and living in Lynnwood, Kerley’s a frequent donor at the local office of Bloodworks Northwest, formerly known as the Puget Sound Blood Center. He sees giving blood as his duty.

He shares the habit of community service with his son, Paul Kerley, 25. Both have O negative blood, making them universal donors — nearly everyone can use their donated blood.

“I feel extremely honored that he saw my duty and has chosen to pick that up,” Douglas Kerley said.

Together, father and son have donated more than 70 gallons to Bloodworks, according to the nonprofit.

Douglas Kerley was born and raised in Ballard. After serving in the U.S. Army, in infantry, he worked for the post office.

Paul Kerley remembers going with both of his parents to the blood bank before he was old enough to understand.

He started giving blood his freshman year at Meadowdale High School.

Father and son have gone together, though their schedules don’t always align. Paul Kerley works in a gun shop and also does event planning. Giving blood is just part of his routine, and it’s not a huge time commitment, he said.

“I like the people there. They’re nice and friendly,” he said. “There are long-running conversations with the staff and the staff rotates in and out.”

For fun these days, Douglas Kerley likes going to gun shows and collecting military antiques.

Sometimes, he’s the only person in the blood bank besides staff, he said. He reminds others to give, too.

“The need remains,” he said.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Donations

Bloodworks Northwest serves 90 hospitals in the region, including every hospital in Snohomish County. It needs about 900 donors a day to maintain a stable supply. The closest donation centers are in Lynnwood and Everett.

To learn more, go to bloodworksnw.org or call 800-398-7888.