As an educator and human services professional, Dr. Allan Zaback has long been concerned with helping others.
Dr. Zaback is an adjunct in the Administration of Human Services graduate program for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He completed his Ed.D at WilmU in 2016.
His dedication to service also involves being a blood donor for 29 years. His blood type, A negative, is only found in about one in 16 individuals or about 6.6 percent of the population. Further, he is Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Negative, meaning he tests negative for the virus that causes chicken pox, cold sores, and infectious mononucleosis. CMV is present in 50-85 percent of people, which makes his blood even more rare.
“CMV Negative means it can be used for babies, children and pregnant women,” he says. “Over the last couple of years, when the Blood Bank calls, they usually need the blood for a child who’s going to have surgery at A.I. DuPont.”
In September, he received a call to donate blood at the Blood Bank of Delmarva for an upcoming surgery at Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children. CMV is not a serious infection, except for newborn babies, pregnant women and the most vulnerable patients. Dr. Zaback answers the call regularly, making special donations three to four times each year, often for children being treated at Nemours/A.I. DuPont.
“I’m always pleased that I’m able to help out. I love helping children,” he says. “If you’re able to donate blood, it’s for a worthy cause. We all have that responsibility to help each other.”