After years of donating blood, once a young man, Arthur McEnearney, or "Mac", now 89, needs blood transfusions as he fights cancer.
Mac doesn't get phased by needles or blood. Maybe it's because of his years of service in the Air Force. Maybe it's because (at his guess) he's donated blood between 40 and 50 times throughout the years. He has type a2b positive blood.
"They'd bug me all the time (to donate). Because when you tell them you got a rare blood they want it. And I'm glad they've got it," McEnearney said.
But now, McEnearney is relying on donors like him.
"{He} has a bone marrow disorder we refer to as Myelodysplasia. It is considered a malignant process because there is a problem with the stem cell in the bone marrow," Sam Renno, Mac's oncologist, says.
All the while, McEnearney is keeping his gracious and giving attitude that began with his blood donations so many years ago.
"He's a lot of fun. He's always upbeat and positive," Renno said.
