Man committed to giving as much blood as he can

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. -- "They call me the fastest man in town," proclaimed Carl Peradotta with a laugh.

Peradotta isn't fast at running races or speeding his vehicle through the streets. Peradotta is the fastest around "and perhaps the most regular" in donating blood.

Peradotta recently donated his 100th pint through the American Red Cross. That amounts to about 13 gallons. But Peradotta estimated he's donated 18 to 20 gallons in all, and the retiree intends to keep giving as long as he's able.

Peradotta's commitment to blood donation was formed by his experiences during the Korean War and reinforced by a mishap he suffered nearly 23 years ago.

Peradotta and his wife, Virginia, were in a serious motorcycle accident in 1980.

"We were run over by another vehicle," he said. "We probably used 30 to 40 pints of blood. My wife was hospitalized for several months."

"I saw how important it is," he said. "I'm trying to replace what we used, threefold or more."

Promise of three-day pass

The Pinckneyville man first donated blood in the Army at the age of 18. Initially, he was perhaps influenced to do so by the promise of a three-day pass in Honolulu, he admitted with a grin. But he soon saw lives saved, and he was committed.

He served in the Korean War during part of his four-year service from 1948-1952, and his duties included serving as a front line infantry rifleman and demolitions specialist.

"In the military I saw a lot of people die because of loss of blood, and that's where I really decided I would do what I could," Peradotta said.

That meant donating blood as often as possible, and even "arm-to-arm, body-to-body transfusions in combat."

"I think it's a very important issue," he said. "Giving blood saves lives. I do it to help people, save lives, help people have better lives. I really encourage people to give."

Peradotta said he's donated blood when someone he knew was having surgery, as well as about every 56 days when the regularly scheduled blood drive returns to Pinckneyville.

"I miss very few," Peradotta said. "I have driven from out of town back to town to donate blood. I have an artery that when I close my hand it sticks out like a lead pencil. It takes me four minutes or less to donate a pint of blood. When I walk in now they don't even ask me if I know the dos and don'ts."

Peradotta has a number of certificates recognizing him for gallons of blood donated to the American Red Cross. His military and some other donations are undocumented, but he knows he has saved lives, and that's all that matters.

Since his retirement, Peradotta has enjoyed volunteering his time playing music at senior citizen homes, serving on volunteer boards and doing other things to help folks. And, he plans to keep giving blood.

"Blood is a critical shortage, especially this time of year," Peradotta said. "I will continue to give."