“I’m going to keep doing it until they tell me to stop,” said Nigel Vaughan, who has donated his blood nearly 250 times
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NEED TO KNOW
- Nigel Vaughan discovered he had a rare blood type during a murder investigation when he was 16 in the 1970s
- While he wasn’t involved in the crime, he was told that his rare B-negative blood type is helpful for NICU babies
- Vaughan, now 70, began donating at 18 and has since given blood around 250 times throughout his lifetime
When Nigel Vaughan was just 16 in the 1970s, he was told that he had “special blood” during a murder investigation.
Vaughan, now 70, lived in Blackpool, England. After a murder took place, men within a specific age range had to provide their saliva and blood sample, according to the BBC.
While he wasn't involved in the crime, he was told that his rare B-negative blood type, or NEO blood, would be helpful to babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
His blood type makes up only about 2% of the blood-donor population, making it one of the rarest in the world, according to the Red Cross.
Newborns can only have blood donations that don't contain the cytomegalovirus (CMV), which most adults have, as it can be fatal for their weakened immune systems, according to the NHS. Vaughan does not have CMV in his blood.
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Vaughan started donating blood when he was 18, and since then, he has given blood around 250 times, estimating he has helped 500 people.
"I'm going to keep doing it until they tell me to stop," he told the BBC.
His mother was also a blood donor who started giving when Vaughan had surgery to treat pyloric stenosis as a baby.
Pyloric stenosis is a "narrowing" of the opening between the stomach and small intestine, and typically appears in newborn babies. It causes food to be trapped in the stomach and requires surgical treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Watching his mom donate blood inspired his dedication to the cause.
"My earliest memories are of accompanying my mom to give blood," Vaughan explained. "As soon as I was old enough I started donating myself."
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He also worked as an emergency responder for St. John Ambulance.
"Knowing my blood can go to babies is quite special," he added. "My daughter and my daughter-in-law now give blood and it's great to know I'm passing on the blood donation baton, just like my mom before me."
PEOPLE reached out to NHS Blood and Transplant for comment.
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