Meet the 18-Gallon Blood Donor Saving Lives in Alaska
8/31/2026 | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Kathy Bumala is a Blood Bank of Alaska superstar who has donated 18 gallons in 18 years.
When Kathy Bumala was looking for a truck driving job, she never could have imagined how walking into the Blood Bank of Alaska would change her life. She got a job driving the mobile blood donation unit and eventually transitioned to outreach and education. 18 years and 18 gallons of donated blood later, Bumala is still going strong and shows no signs of stopping. She might not know who she’s help
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Every Little Bit is a local public television program presented by AK
made possible with support by Rasmuson Foundation
Meet the 18-Gallon Blood Donor Saving Lives in Alaska
8/31/2026 | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
When Kathy Bumala was looking for a truck driving job, she never could have imagined how walking into the Blood Bank of Alaska would change her life. She got a job driving the mobile blood donation unit and eventually transitioned to outreach and education. 18 years and 18 gallons of donated blood later, Bumala is still going strong and shows no signs of stopping. She might not know who she’s help
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAnyone that needs blood really needs it.
There's no replacement, there's no synthetic blood.
It's just that's it.
That's all there is.
They can make robots, but they can't make blood.
My name is Kathy Bumala.
I've been with blood Bank for 18 years, and I've donated 18 gallons.
When I grew up in Palmer, we had a walking blood bank, and I never got to donate.
When I moved back up to Alaska from Oregon, I was looking for a job as a truck driver.
Came with my mom into Anchorage and I said, oh, there's a blood bank.
I'm going to go try donate blood.
So I did, and I was donating, and the lady asked me, well, what do you do?
And I said, well, I'm a truck driver.
She goes, oh really?
Do you have a CDL?
And said, oh yeah.
I got the job started the following week.
I didn't plan on donating 18 gallons in 18 years.
They know I'm a sure thing, and so If they can't get anybody in, then bring in Kathy and she'll do it.
Because of HIPAA and everyone's privacy, of course, you never know who gets what.
The only thing that the blood bank does is let you know that a unit of your blood has gone to the hospital to save a life, and you don't know which hospital, and you don't know which life.
But does it matter?
I mean, if you're saving a life, you're saving a life.
Who cares what their name is?
I was one of the people that helped save a little boy.
In my donor calling, I met the mother.
She had said he almost died and then two people in Anchorage stepped up to the plate and started donating.
Well, both Micah and I can do triples on platelets.
And I asked her well, oh wow, so how is your son doing?
And she said, oh, he started kindergarten.
It's a simple way to give back to your community.
I don't think people realize how little it takes to do this and how much it helps and saves lives, and it truly does.
I think when you give out good karma, you get back good karma.
And it works like that in in blood banking too, in that if I've got it and I'm using it, it doesn't hurt me any, why not share it?
You know?
And I'll continue to donate until I can't do it anymore.
This episode of Every Little Bit is made possible with support by Rasmuson Foundation.
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Every Little Bit is a local public television program presented by AK
made possible with support by Rasmuson Foundation