Because he lived in Europe during the 80s and 90s, Bryan W. was ineligible to give blood for years due to the FDA policy on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (aka mad cow disease). With that deferral lifted, Bryan gave just his second lifetime donation ... and won Vitalant’s Car Giveaway.
Motivated by his grandfather, a long-time blood donor, Bryan signed up for a blood drive in Pullman, WA. He said, “I felt great after donating. I was excited to be eligible to donate because I know how important it is.” He didn’t realize there was a chance to win $30,000 toward a car purchase.
When asked how he felt once he heard that he won, Bryan said, “I was incredulous! I didn’t believe it!” .jpg?lang=en-US)
Bryan and his wife were already thinking it was time to start shopping for a replacement vehicle. “We travel a lot by car. We took our four kids on a trip through the exterior U.S. states, so our vehicles are well-traveled; both were at or over 200K mileage!”
With their winnings, they chose a 2021 Toyota Highlander. “My wife wanted something other than white, black or gray. We ended up with a color called moon dust (blue/green). My wife was happy.”
Bryan knows he will return and become a regular blood donor. He said, “We have a much stronger belief system. Through the twists and turns of life, we absolutely understand how important it is. Giving blood is a family tradition. My kids are signing up to donate now.”
To motivate others who haven’t donated before, Bryan added, “It doesn’t take much time, and you can have a lifelong impact on people who are in a hard situation.”
Congratulations, Bryan!