When he was a teenager, Marco Perez's father told him that as a baby, he had needed a blood transfusion in order to survive. Family friend Tony Aguilar donated the blood that saved his life, and Perez decided to follow his example. After years of giving the maximum amount of blood every year, Perez just donated his 100th gallon.
"One donation just saved my life," he told Inside Edition. "If it wasn't for [Aguilar], I wouldn't have 100 gallons right now." A postal worker and Air Force veteran living in San Antonio, Perez, who met Aguilar a few years ago and is now close to him, visits the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center every two weeks to give blood, specifically platelets that are in demand for cancer patients. "It's safe to say he's saved over 1,500 lives with his donations," Roger Ruiz, STBTC's corporate communications specialist, told Inside Edition. "Without blood donors, cancer patients or people with blood disorders wouldn't have a fighting chance."
Perez's year-round giving is especially important in the summer, when donations typically decrease. "I'll just keep donating until the blood bank says I can't donate anymore," Perez said. "It's just giving, showing love for a fellow human being."