30 before 30

Platelet donor Steve Hill has his eye on an important goal.

For many people, an approaching milestone birthday provokes frenzied activity as they try to accomplish personal goals and reach important targets before they enter the next chapter of their lives.

For Steve Hill, though, the story is different. His goal to make 30 donations before he hits the big three-oh started in his teens.

Coming from a family of donors, 29-year-old Steve (pictured donating) first gave blood ten years ago and has recently made the switch to platelet donation.

"I couldn’t imagine a world where, with all the technology that is at hand for social/leisure activities, a patient could be at risk simply because blood or platelets aren’t available to them," he says.

"As a universal platelet donor, I consider it to be even more crucial to donate as my platelets can go to anyone."

The support and flexibility offered to him at work by his manager – who received blood during her pregnancy – have helped Steve to close in on his target.

Helping him too is the friendliness of the staff at Nottingham Donor Centre, and the fact he finds the experience "strangely quite relaxing".

And though Steve is still trying to tick off life goals – like jumping out of helicopters over the Swiss Alps (among other things) – he says his list of '30 things to do before 30' would just not feel complete without 30 blood donations.