An extraordinary woman from Texas has claimed a Guinness World Record thanks to her generous heart, and a little help from some other organs.
Alyse Ogletree has set the world record for the most amount of breastmilk donated by a single person—2,645.58 liters—or just about 700 gallons.
It was a record she had previously broken in 2014 following the birth of her son Kyle in 2010. She was told that she could donate the extra amount of milk she was producing to women who wanted to breastfeed their infants but were struggling.
The suggestion was made when the nurses observed how much excess breastmilk Alyse was producing. She was more than happy to donate, and admitted in an interview with Guinness that donating and giving are some of the most important parts of her life.
“I have a big heart, [but] at the end of the day, I’m not made of money and I can’t give away money to good causes over and over because I have a family to support,” Ogletree said. But “donating milk was a way I could give back”.
“I was overproducing and throwing away milk, unaware overproduction was unique and other mothers struggled,” she remembered. “Our first child, Kyle, was in the hospital, and I was filling the nurses’ freezer. A nurse asked if I was donating, which I didn’t know was possible.”
By the time Kyle was finished nursing (and a fair bit after) she had donated 414 gallons (1,569.79) to Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. She would take up the challenge again after the birth of her two younger sons Kage (12) and Kory (7) such that by the time she finished building her family, she had donated an additional 528 gallons (2,000 liters) to another milk bank—Tiny Treasures—as well as to close friends in need, though these were not counted towards the Guinness World Record.
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The Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas told Ogletree that every liter of milk can feed 11 premature babies, which by her math means that her milk has fed 350,000 infants across Texas if it were all to be used.
Shaina Stanks, the milk bank’s director, said they were “shocked and astonished” by her donation of “an incomprehensible amount of surplus breastmilk to fragile infants.”
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“Her life-saving efforts are an undeniable testament to her extraordinary generosity and compassion,” Stanks’ statement added.
The Guardian reports that doctors aren’t really sure why her body seems to be such a natural latteria, but Ogletree stresses her well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet and proper hydration.
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