Kimball Woman Records 100th Blood Donor Visit

Don and Connie Onigkeit prove that one does not have to run into burning buildings or serve in the military to be a hero and save a life, but rather one can be a hero to someone by simply donating blood.

The Kimball couple has been donating blood for approximately 25 years with Connie reaching the 100 donation mark, which adds up to 12 and a half gallons of blood, the day after Christmas this past year.

“They say you save three lives with each unit, and one time they did tell me it was for a baby so that made me feel good,” Connie said.

The reason the Onigkeits began donating blood stems from a car accident that they were in in 1987, in which they were hit head on by a drunk driver.

“I almost died. She was in the hospital for several days, and I took 16 units of blood. I was in intensive care for five weeks,” Don recalled of the accident.

Connie recalls that seeing the amount of blood that Don needed was what inspired the couple to start donating.

“You really don’t think about it until something happens. He needed 16 units, and I thought,’ Wow, that’s something you can do to help the community,” Connie said.

According to Connie, her and her husband try to donate at least five times a year. Unfortunately, recent illness has kept Don from being able to donate and reach the 100 mark with his wife, with his donations resting at 98 which is no small feat.

“She started donating one or two times before I could, because I took so much blood. We just got into the habit and started doing it. Up until I contracted cancer this year, I was trying to hit the 100 mark too,” Don said.

Connie admits that she felt some guilt reaching the 100 mark before her husband. However, it was Don’s encouragement to reach the mark for both of them that pushed her to keep donating.

“I told her she had to hit the 100 mark this year, and she did it,” Don said.

Though, the recipient of the blood may remain anonymous, it doesn’t phase Connie at all or make her at all hesitant to give even though she may never see the end result of her gift.

I just try to give the life support they ask for and save people. It doesn’t matter that you don’t’ know the people. It’s just amazing that you can save three lives out of one unit of blood,” Connie said.

Even with reaching the milestone of the 100 donation mark, Connie shows no signs of donating any less in the future.

“I’ll keep giving as long as I can,” Connie said.

Don and Connie Onigkeit currently reside here in Kimball where they have lived since 1996.