Since that time, Schneider has valued blood and devoted his life to giving back. And this Saturday, May 3, the 85-year-old former Teaneck resident and regular at Hackensack’s Second Reformed Church will donate his 49th pint of blood to the Community Blood Services.
Schneider grew up in Teaneck and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University before he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Before he was shipped to serve overseas in 1944, he married the love of his life, Annie. Together, they had two sons and a daughter.
Though Schneider already had underwent his life-altering surgery, he said his wife became his inspiration to help others. Annie was diagnosed with cancer in 1967, and the countless treatments and surgeries that followed required an enormous amount of donated blood.
Annie ultimately succumbed to cancer two years after the diagnosis, but Schneider used his wife’s illness to catapult his crusade and raise awareness for blood donation.
"It was because of her that I really started donating like crazy," Schneider said.
"They tell me that my blood type, A-positive, is good for babies and for cancer patients. It’s something that is just so important to do and there is always a need for it,"
Schneider has donated 49 pints of blood to Community Blood Services; however, he has contributed to other institutions, pushing his total beyond 50 pints.
Community Blood Services acknowledges donors who have offered 16 pints of blood or more, a milestone that Schneider, who now lives in West Milford, passed several years ago. Schneider has eclipsed the approved donor age (17 to 75 years old), so he now requires clearance from his doctors before donating.
"You’re never too old to donate, and you can never give enough," he said.
