Ways to Help | Blood Donor Milestones

Bob says he doesn’t do much to keep himself in proper health to donate. He naturally eats well and keeps in good physical condition. He often takes a “work from phone day” — calling into meetings and managing his businesses while walking up to 20 miles through the city of Boston. Even on days when he’s donating platelets, he walks from his home in Jamaica Plain instead of driving.

The process of donating doesn’t require much from Bob; “What am I doing? I’m just sitting here!” he says. In the past, he’d watch movies while he donated; nowadays, he likes to snooze in the chair.

‘It just makes sense to me’

Bob gets emotional when he thinks about the kids who use his platelets. “I have one rule: I don’t ever want to meet the people I donate to,” says Bob, pausing to collect his thoughts. “I don’t consider myself anything special,” he says. “I’m a low-key guy.”

Bob doesn’t ask for anything in return for donating. Occasionally, he’ll reward himself with a bag of chips, other than that he’s quietly charitable.

Despite his humility, there’s no doubt that Bob makes a big impact for patients and families at Boston Children’s. Teary eyed, Bob describes donating as a “big deal” — “It just makes sense to me.”

Inspiring the next generation of blood donors

Bob hopes that sharing his story will inspire more people to donate platelets. When he started donating blood, he was 21 and was rewarded with four hours off from his job for each successful donation. He now practices a similar policy at his own companies. If he could, Bob would reincarnate himself as Ellen DeGeneres and use her show to spread awareness.

When asked how long he plans to donate, Bob says, through chuckles, that he’ll reevaluate his donation habits after reaching 1,000 donations. Otherwise, he plans to continue donating until he’s told to stop.

Boston Children’s Hospital extends its deepest gratitude to Bob Watson and his dedication to the well-being of our patients. We thank you, Bob, and all those who donate blood products to our patients.

2020 milestone recognition donors

• Donors selected for this annual recognition have donated Platelets 10+ times, Whole Blood 5+ times, or Double Red Cells 3+ times in the previous year.

Platelet Donors

Double Red Donors

Whole Blood Donors