From helping a friend with sickle cell anemia to making a 512-mile round trip to donate every other Sunday, every one of the dozen Americans inducted into the National Blood Donation Hall of Fame this year has an inspiring story, but none is quite as visceral as Ray Lebron’s.
Honored for making 190 lifetime blood donations totaling more than 33 gallons, for coordinating 33 blood drives at his church where 845 pints have been collected and for his dedication volunteering with the San Diego Blood Bank for 18 years, the Tierrasanta resident has been literally giving of himself for four decades.
But the event that started it all happened on July 18, 1984, when a 41-year-old man shot and killed 21 people and wounded 19 at a McDonald’s in San Ysidro. The incident remains the most deadly mass shooting in California history.
At the time, Lebron said, he was working at a Sears in Chula Vista that just happened to be across the street from what is now Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista.
Everyone, he recalled, stopped working and watched news of the shooting as it was broadcast. Suddenly, the voice of a coworker came over the intercom, announcing that his nephew had been shot in the incident and exhorting anyone who could donate blood to do so immediately.
“Six of us walked across the street and donated on that day,” Lebron said, noting that one of the victims who needed a transfusion was a four-month-old baby who ended up making it through.
“Whether they used my blood, or any of the other five, I don’t know, but our intent going there that day was to save that baby, and she did survive,” Lebron said. That’s what changed my awareness about donating blood.
“Before that, I used to debate whether to donate, but after that I just dedicated myself to the blood bank.”
He is the fourth San Diego Blood Bank volunteer to be inducted into the hall of fame that is operated by multinational medtech company Fresenius Kabi. Previous inductees are Jim Walker in 2023, Candy Olles in 2021 and Joe McDonald in 2020.
The company has honored donors for 25 years, and Carolyn Brown, its representative on the ground in Chula Vista Tuesday, said that the competition is stiff to make the list of honorees. This year, she said, the total number of candidates was about 100.
Choosing the winners, she added, comes down to the personal stories of nominees. A common thread is a lack of desire to be in the limelight.
“People like Ray don’t want the attention,” Brown said. “You do all the work, you’re always there, you’re so supportive — you not only donate, you advocate, you volunteer, but you don’t want any of the credit.”
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Indeed, Lebron noted during a short speech Tuesday that others have literally bled far more than he has for his cause. The blood bank’s top male and female donors, according to the organization’s internal records, are Bob Fischer and PJ Jeffery, who have tallied 207 gallons and 136 gallons respectively.
But those in attendance at Lebron’s award ceremony said his work in organizing drives that have collected enough blood to save thousands of people, show the breadth of impact he has had on the community. Born in the Philippines and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1970 to 1976, he noted that Asian Americans have historically had lower donation rates than the general population.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, and I hope I can help,” Lebron said. “For those of you that donate, please don’t stop; for those of you that can’t donate, please urge others to do so.
“Make a difference not just for yourself, but for other people.”
