A running passion for life
Since conquering his fear of needles thirteen years ago, Jarrod’s kicking goals in and out of the donor chair
A few years ago, former police officer, Jarrod, met a seriously ill child while volunteering at Camp Quality. Seeing the impact blood donations can make on the lives of so many sparked a passion for donating blood.
"I'd seen the necessity of blood and how every time you donate, you're saving [up to] three lives," Jarrod said.
In 2009, just after turning 40, Jarrod set a goal and trained to do the following year’s Kokoda Track. At the same time, he went from being an occasional donor to a fortnightly regular plasma donor.
After coming back from Kokoda, he decided he needed a new fitness goal and put his mind to the 2011 Gold Coast Marathon. Since then, he has completed 25 marathons, including Boston and Berlin, every state and territory of Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
Jarrod recently made his 300th donation before hopping on a plane to London and Chicago to complete two successive weekend marathons with plans to run New York Marathon after.
An incredible human who not only inspires others with his own running goals, Jarrod times his donations around the running events to make sure he never misses a donation. All his trips are planned so that he can donate plasma on the morning of his flights, and the day after he returns if he’s away for 14 days or more.
Jarrod donated 26 times in donor centres across Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, and Mackay last year, never missing a fortnight!
“There are people out there who may not be around if it wasn’t for the hour that I spend in the donor chair each fortnight,” Jarrod said
Keen to smash goals, just like Jarrod? Book in a donation and you’ll automatically enter the running for your next milestone!
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