Special thank you for man's 200th plasma donation

Paul Cadman met Michelle from Coventry, who received at life-saving plasma donation at the Birmingham donation centre on Tuesday

A man who was making his 200th donation of blood plasma has been surprised with a special thank you.

Paul Cadman, a former firefighter from Birmingham, first gave blood almost four decades ago and said his job inspired him to donate plasma after he witnessed its "immediate benefits" to patients at the scenes of fires.

People like Michelle from Coventry, who received life-saving plasma after she was diagnosed with a rare condition a couple of years ago, are among the many he has helped.

The pair met at the Birmingham donor centre on Tuesday where she expressed her gratitude to Mr Cadman.

"Over the course of a week I had 150 units of plasma so without people like you I wouldn't be here today," Michelle said.

She was diagnosed with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare disease related to blood clotting, and needed a donation at very short notice to keep her alive.

Mr Cadman said he was among thousands of "dedicated donors" who supported those in need.

"You do come into the centre and see regular faces so it's a little bit of community."

Paul Cadman said it was his father's commitment to donating blood that inspired him to start

The former firefighter added that it was his father's commitment to blood donation that had originally led to his generosity and recalled him proudly wearing a blood donation badge.

"Dad used to give blood regularly, I think he did it for about 50 years and you tend to follow in your father's footsteps.

"Also there's a bit of civic pride, this is what we do in Birmingham, we give back," Mr Cadman added.

Mr Cadman said knowing he had helped to save people's lives was a "great satisfaction"

He said it only took about 45 minutes to make a donation and encouraged more people to head to a donor centre.

"You walk out and think we've done something pretty good, we've made a difference and literally saved people's lives.

"What a great satisfaction to have," Mr Cadman added.