A terrible motorbike accident landed Brent Baldwin in a coma for nine weeks when he was just 17.
In the 27 years since, the Wanganui stay-at-home father has been a regular blood donor, motivated by the will to give people the second chance at life he had. "With my accident I lost a lot of blood and people had donated to make me survive, so why not do it for others?" he said.
He would recommend donating blood to others, and Wanganui isn't short on generous donors, though the city's red blood cell donations to the New Zealand Blood Service have been declining for the past five years.
Mr Baldwin's accident happened on April 14, 1988. He was on his way home from New Plymouth at night, going "a bit fast", when a car came around the corner at Virginia Lake with spotlights that blinded him. He hit the brakes, skidded on gravel and his leg hit a sign post. It was smashed up, and his lungs collapsed, and the young Brent spent six months in hospital. He had to relearn how to walk and talk, while ACC said he would never work again.
But when he recovered he wanted to work and lied to get and keep jobs, causing lasting damage to his feet and arms. He also has short term memory loss and takes medication for pain, but he likes to keep busy and looks after three children aged four to seven while wife Sharon works.
