An 80-year-old Ocala resident reached a milestone Wednesday most people would be hard-pressed to imagine.
According to a release from OneBlood, Duane Baker donated his 100th gallon of blood at the Ocala Donor Center.
Officials say Baker started donated blood in the early 1970s.
Officials say Baker reached the high-level donation mark by primarily giving platelets to cancer patients.
Platelet transfusions are life-sustaining for many people undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
The special donation process allows Baker to donate every other week, since his platelets are extracted from his blood and his red blood cells are given back to him.
Baker moved to Ocala in 1969 from Ohio, and has been a resident ever since.
His wife of 41 years passed away in 2007.
His children and grandchildren live nearby.
Baker says his children and grandchildren keep him young, along with donating blood regularly and playing golf on Mondays.