CAMROSE, Alta. — Some Alberta families go fishing or tobogganing on Family Day, but the three Trautman siblings got together to donate blood.
The trio booked their blood donation time together to celebrate sister Virginia Liebl’s 100th donation. It was brother Les Trautman’s 133rd blood donation and sister Margaret Shinness’s 119th.
The family is following in their mother’s footsteps, who donated at least 35 times. Liebl wore her mother’s 35th blood donation pin to the latest blood donation clinic.
Liebl began donating sometime in the 1980s when her four children were younger and continued until she was forced to stop a few years ago before a hip replacement. With an all-clear from her doctor, Liebl began donating again with a goal to reach her 100th donation.
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Shinness began her blood donations while at college in Red Deer. For most of her life, she travelled to the Canadian Blood Services permanent clinic in Edmonton from her home in Wetaskiwin, Alta., to donate plasma. Plasma donations can be done every two weeks.
Five years ago, Shinness was forced to quit donating because of a protein in her blood. When organizing the latest sibling blood donation, she discovered the rules had changed and she can once again donate blood and will begin her plasma donations in Edmonton.
Trautman started while at the then Camrose Lutheran College during a challenge between college fraternities in 1976. Except for some time when his children were younger, he has been a loyal blood donor ever since. Trautman’s son, Andrew, is a regular donator because his blood can be used for infant donations.
