Instead of wrapping presents and preparing Christmas dinner, two Victoria residents set out to break a personal record. 

Sporting plaid shirts and big smiles, brothers Glen (61) and Mike Rodger (57) marched into Canadian Blood Services in Saanich on Dec. 23 to donate blood for the 100th time.  

B次元官网网址淵ou never know who your blood is going to, but it's always going to somebody who could be your neighbour, your friend,B次元官网网址� said Mike.

Though the pair donations have helped people across Canada, the brothers are motivated most by GlenB次元官网网址檚 wife Anne. 

B次元官网网址淢y wife has leukemia,B次元官网网址� said Glen, who added that he has been donating blood regularly for 40 years. B次元官网网址淚t wasn't until she was in her 20s that it was diagnosed.B次元官网网址� 

According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, almost everybody diagnosed with the form of cancer requires blood transfusions. 

Underscoring the brothersB次元官网网址� drive, however, lies a healthy rivalry. 

B次元官网网址淕len was always way ahead of me because I travelled and had not donated for a long time,B次元官网网址� said Mike, who started donating blood and platelets in 2018. B次元官网网址淚 was donating whole blood and I had seen the option to do platelets instead and, with platelets, they take your blood out, remove the platelets and then put your blood back so you can do it more frequently.B次元官网网址� 

This gave the younger brother a chance to catch up with Glen.

"There's always some amount of competition between us," he said.

However, the pair stepped back from their contest on Monday, opting instead to mark their milestones together.

Patricia Willms, Canadian Blood ServicesB次元官网网址� community development manager, who greeted the brothers at the clinicB次元官网网址檚 front entrance, expressed the importance of generous donors like Glen and Mike.

B次元官网网址淚t's exciting for us to watch these people reach these milestones and to see their dedication,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t's inspiring to the people around them. They've brought colleagues and friends and family in throughout the years by talking about it. They're the type of people that amplify the cause.B次元官网网址� 

According to a recent report from Canadian Blood Service, the organization logged 767,000 whole blood collections between 2022 and 2023. Still, Willms added that more donors are needed.

B次元官网网址淭he need for blood is continuous. We say that every 60 seconds someone in Canada needs blood,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e need 450 new donors a day to continue to meet that patient demand.B次元官网网址� 

While the organization works to fill that gap, Glen and Mike are doing the best they can to help, and, inside the clinic, neither was fazed by the site of needles or blood as they rolled up their sleeves.

B次元官网网址淚 was an army medic for a short time, so I wasn't allowed to be afraid,B次元官网网址� said Glen, a Canadian Air Force veteran who began his career in the Reserves. 

B次元官网网址淚t doesn't bother me at all,B次元官网网址� added Mike. "I kind of think it's fascinating, so I like to watch even when theyB次元官网网址檙e putting the needle in, but that usually freaks the nurse out more than it freaks me out.B次元官网网址� 

Both of them emphasized that anyone interested in donating blood does not need to be scared.

"You're always taken care of," said Mike. "You never have to worry coming in here. They are very careful." 

To donate blood to Canadian Blood Services, visit: .