Blood Product Donations Record - Héma-Québec Honours the Greatest Donor in North America

MONTREAL, Oct. 2, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, Jean Bernier, a resident of Shannon in the greater Québec City area, reached the remarkable milestone of 1,700 blood product donations. He made this historic donation at Héma-Québec's Sainte-Foy Donation Centre, which he visits several dozen times a year.

In doing so, Mr. Bernier has set an unparalleled record: according to our research, he is the first person in history—whether in Québec, Canada, or North America—to achieve such an extraordinary level of altruistic giving. Thanks to his generosity and unwavering commitment, he has helped save or improve the lives of thousands of people who required blood, plasma, or platelets.

A former professor at Cégep Limoilou, where he taught for 35 years, the septuagenarian began donating at age 18, the minimum age to give blood products. His message to the people of Québec is as simple as it is inspiring: dare to make a first donation, because just like in life, every step matters.

"I never thought about setting a record," he said, "or that I'd ever end up making 1,700 donations. To me, it's as if every one of those 1,700 donations was my first, because each donation carries unique importance for a patient in Québec and for their family. Young people are healthy and full of vitality—if we inspire them, they'll want to share!"

After his donation, Mr. Bernier was congratulated by Luc Lévesque, Vice-President of Blood Products and Mother's Milk at Héma-Québec, and received the heartfelt recognition of staff and volunteers at the centre. To further highlight this exceptional achievement, Mr. Bernier will also be honoured this Sunday, October 5, during the Laval University Rouge et Or football game against Concordia University's Stingers.

Héma-Québec extends its deepest thanks for his extraordinary commitment!

About Héma-Québec

Héma-Québec's mission is to efficiently meet the Québec population's needs for blood and other high-quality biological products of human origin. Héma-Québec has more than 1,900 employees, more than 200,000 donors of blood, plasma, stem cells, mothers' milk and human tissue, as well as thousands of volunteers at blood drive sites. Héma-Québec delivers nearly 800,000 human-derived biological products to Québec hospitals every year to meet patients' needs.

SOURCE Héma-Québec