LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - In a follow up to our focus on National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, we have learned that a donor in San Angelo benefitted, not from his own blood donation, but by going through the donation process. He says his effort to give blood to someone else ended up saving his own life, not once...but twice.

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Since giving blood comes with a mini-health check for blood pressure and iron levels, Howard Berger took his test results from Vitalant to his own doctor for further testing. That was in 2019. That's when he discovered that he had three major blockages.

More recently, in another pre-donation health check at Vitalant in San Angelo, Berger learned his iron levels were not good. So he took those results somewhere for further testing and learned that his iron levels were a clue that he had colon cancer.

Berger says now, "If I had not been a donor, I could've either dropped dead of a heart attack or by the time they would have found that I had colon cancer, it could have been stage four or worse."

Berger had no symptoms in either case.

Today, Berger makes it a point to tell people that by giving blood, you are not only saving other lives, but the mini-physical needed to make sure you're healthy enough to give blood can also help you keep better track of your own health.

The mini-check looks at your pulse, temperature, blood pressure, cholesterol and hemoglobin (Iron) levels.

Another personal benefit: if you are not aware of your blood type, a blood donation will clear that up.