An American man has donated blood in every U.S. state and recently crossed the border to add one province to the list. Vinton Smith is from Pennsylvania and had a meeting in New York State, near the Canadian border. He decided to cross the border and donate a pint in Saint-Bruno, Que. “Donating blood is an act of kindness,” he said. “It’s an act of kindness to our neighbours, to my neighbours back home in Pennsylvania, to my neighbours in neighbouring states and our neighbours here. I think if we can think about it that way, this world could be a much better place.” For the past 37 years, Smith has donated more than 17 gallons of blood (64 litres) and 78 units of platelets and plasma across the U.S., according to his testimonial on Blood Across America. In 2008, when he began working at Elanco Animal Health, he began travelling and donating in the states he visited. His children have also joined him in giving. On June 14, 2025, he completed his 50-state goal and donated in Hawaii. He wants to now donate platelets in every state, having already done so in 25. Hema Quebec says the need for blood is strong, especially in the summer. “Even if we’re on vacation, the patients who need blood are not on vacation,” said Elise Pellerin. “They need the same amount of blood as the rest of the year, which is 1,000 donations each day. Even if our usual donors are on vacation, we still need people to move and come give blood.”
