Quilty, 72, a retired psychiatric nurse, exalted her 389th donation Saturday at the Canadian Blood Services clinic on Oak Street.

Sylvia Quilty, who worked as a nurse for 25 years, first initiated with the noble task at the age of 18 after seeing a flyer for a blood-donor clinic, and is praised to have saved more lives off the job.

With this, the Canadian Blood Services hopes to increase its number of blood donors in 2010.

"I've been doing this for so many years that it's a habit. I know almost everybody here and it's comfortable for me. It just takes time, but not everybody has the time", she claims.

New donors are in a great demand as the need for blood continues to soar. Canadian Blood Services' forecasts 922,000 units of blood - one donation equals one unit - will be needed by patients in Canada during 2010-11 and 90,000, revealing that new donors are drastically needed each year to cope up with the increasing transfusion demand as our population ages.

The CBS staffer bears a hope that Quilty's example will pose an epitome for others, inspiring them to give blood -- especially during the Olympics, when the agency fears donations will fall as much as 15 per cent.

The CBS is well prepared as it has already proceeded with holding special clinics at its Oak Street location, offering Olympic events screenings and special 2010 pins in a view to encourage public to lend a helping hand by donating during the Games