San Diego Comic-Con’s Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive Collects More Than 3K Pints

The Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive at Comic-Con International exceeded its drive goal of 3,000 pints Sunday.

The San Diego Blood Bank’s largest and longest-running blood drive returned for the 48th year, after last year’s drive collected 14,748 pints. The first drive, in 1977, collected 148 pints.

The drive ran 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel Coronado Ballroom and San Diego Blood Bank donation centers. Donors received a limited-edition “Deadpool & Wolverine” T-shirt.

“We are so thankful to continue this incredible tradition of turning fans into heroes,” San Diego Blood Bank CEO Doug Morton said. “This event not only celebrates the spirit of Comic-Con but also underscores the importance of blood donation in saving lives during summer — one of the toughest times to collect blood.”

Throughout the drive’s history, a total of 77,573 pints of blood have been donated by Comic-Con attendees, exhibitors, professionals, volunteers and staff. The San Diego Blood Bank estimated donations have impacted more than 232,000 lives over the course of our 47 years.

“We are very happy to continue our long tradition of helping the San Diego Blood Bank meet its critical needs,” Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer said. “The many attendees and fans who give blood for such a worthy cause is both an inspiration and a motivating factor for others to take part as well. We are happy to once again be a part of this wonderful effort.”

For science fiction fans, few names compare with Robert A. Heinlein. From “Starship Troopers” to “Stranger in a Strange Land,” Heinlein was the dean of sci-fi writers but rarely attended conventions, so his readers had few opportunities to meet him in person.

In the early 1970s, Heinlein had a life-threatening illness and needed many pints of a rare blood type. He felt he owed his life to the donors, so when asked to be a guest at the 1976 Worldcon, he agreed with one stipulation: He would only sign autographs for those who donated blood.

Long-time Comic-Con committee member Jackie Estrada approached the author with an offer to hold a blood drive in San Diego if he would consent to attending as a guest. He agreed, and in 1977, Heinlein and his wife, Ginny, came to Comic-Con.

The San Diego Blood Bank’s donor population is solely volunteer-based and has been since 1974.

For anyone who couldn’t make it to the drive, the San Diego Blood Bank is offering the limited-edition Comic-Con T-shirt to those who donate at a San Diego Blood Bank donor center or mobile blood through Aug. 31.