By Heather Hintze

EUGENE, Ore. -- We all know about donating blood, but what about donating platelets?  One Ohio man is working his way across the country to get the word out.

In 2007, Alan Whitney started a campaign to donate platelets in all 50 states.  He started in Pennsylvania and Wednesday he made Oregon his 35th state.

Whitney is in the chair for the 647th time, donating his platelets for people in need.  "The injured, the cancer patients.  Platelets are the clotting factor in your blood and when patients go under radiation chemotherapy, their platelets are killed off," said Whitney, "I realize there are people out there who need it and it's something I can do."

Whitney has volunteered for blood banks in one form or another for the past 45 years.  At age 71, he now uses his social security income to travel to different blood banks around the country.

Donating platelets is a lot like donating blood, except the plasma and platelets are filtered out and the blood goes back into your body.  It also takes quite a bit longer, an hour to an hour and a half.  But Whitney says he'd stay hooked up to the machine for hours if that's what it takes.

One of Whitney's next stops is in Delaware in April.  For more information about donating blood or platelets, click here.