San Antonio Letter Carrier Marcos Perez III recently became one of just a handful of people in South Texas to reach a remarkable milestone: donating 100 gallons of blood.
The achievement, which has received international media attention, has earned him recognition as a PMG Hero.
“Mr. Perez is what you’d consider an all-star for the blood community,” South Texas Blood and Tissue Center spokesman Roger Ruiz said soon after the Postal Service employee hit the 100-gallon mark.
The 57-year-old Perez, who needed a life-saving transfusion himself after being born prematurely, has donated blood platelets every two weeks for the past 34 years — likely helping countless cancer patients, accident victims and others, according to the center.
Platelets are a blood component that allows people to donate more often than if they were giving whole blood.
“I will keep donating until they tell me I can no longer donate,” he said.