LifeStream Recognizes Blood Donor

Bob Hitchman III, an Inaland Empire resident, made his 1,000th blood donation Wednesday, April 23 at LifeStream’s San Bernardino Donor Center. Hitchman, 59, became the second donor in LifeStream’s 63-year history to reach the plateau, which represents 125 gallons of donated blood. Larry Bloemsma, Redlands, preceded him in February of this year. His contributions to community wellness over nearly 35 years have assisted approximately 1,500-2,000 hospital patients. According to Hitchman, he began donating blood “about 1980” at the urging of his wife, Jean. “She told me, ‘You make the same excuses everyone else makes for not doing it.’ She was right. “And once I started, and learned where the blood goes, and how it helps people, it was easy to make the decision to become a regular donor.” Jean has donated whole blood more than 120 times; her 15-gallons plus puts her in elite company as a member of LifeStream’s 10-Gallon Donor Club. Since 1987, Bob Hitchman has donated platelets, which can be collected biweekly up to 24 times per year. He has maintained that donation schedule, with very few exceptions, for more than a quarter century. The next generation of Hitchmans has taken the cue from their parents. Sons Robert IV, a police officer, and Buddy, a firefighter, both are regular blood donors. Bob III began volunteer coaching at San Gorgonio High School in 2000, when Robert IV enrolled in the school. Robert IV and Buddy graduated from SGHS in 2004 and 2006, respectively, but the elder Hitchman still volunteer as coaches during fall and spring semesters. LifeStream is a local, not-for-profit, independent blood bank that provides blood products and services to more than 80 Southern California hospitals.