Students, teachers, community members donate blood to save lives

Junior+Zoe+C.+Martin+squeezes+the+ball+as+the+nurse+explains+the+procedure+on+Nov.+1.+Martin+was+one+of+55+people+who+were+able+to+donate.

William Martin

Junior Zoe C. Martin squeezes the ball as the nurse explains the procedure on Nov. 1. Martin was one of 55 people who were able to donate.

As you turn a corner on the road, you notice lights shatter the darkness and blind your eyes. Swerving to avoid the collision, thoughts flash through your head about what will happen to you.

The next thing you know, you wake up in a hospital bed and are told you have had several blood transfusions. When you are  left alone, you begin to cry as you silently thank those who donated their blood to help you continue on with your life.

According to redcrossblood.org a person in a crash can need up to 100 pints of blood, most likely type O.

On Nov. 1, 55 students, teachers and community members took time out of their day to save three lives a piece. While 73 people showed up to Gym B to donate, 16 were unable to donate and two had to stop, Red Cross Club sponsor Jayme Goetz said. However, they still collected 57 units of blood.

“Our goal was 55 units of blood,” Goetz said. “That would be 55 people doing individual donations, or if people do double reds, which means we get twice the about of red blood cells, we can have a little bit less. We beat our goal by two units which is really good.”

According to the Red Cross site, the number one reason people donate blood is because they want to help others.

This particular drive provided enough blood to help 171 people according to Goetz.

This was the first blood drive of the year, though last year Red Cross held one along with StuCo. Compared to the last one, this one was put together by Kayla Bell and Goetz, who spent their first year together organizing the event.

“We were really hoping to meet our goal, but we didn’t want to get our hopes up,” Goetz said. “[The fact] that we met it a beat it, just makes it even better.”

In order for one to be a part of this blood drive, different requirements had to be met.

“All of the requirements are located on redcross.org,” Goetz said. “There are height and weight requirements, age restrictions, and then there’s some basic guidelines like if you’ve been out of the country, if you’ve been to certain countries, if you’ve been sick with something specific. Most people are able to donate. Probably about 80 percent of people are able to donate.”

For those who do meet all of those requirements, the best time to donate is after you’ve stocked up on iron.

“They really want to encourage people to eat iron rich diets before they donate and to avoid drinks that cause you to dehydrate, such as tea,” Goetz said. “They really want you on a full belly with lots of water.”

And for those who cannot donate, there are different ways they can help at the next blood drive on March 8.

“They can help by volunteering and encouraging others to donate, and look for other ways they can help their community,” Goetz said.

Goetz said approximately 40 students are involved in Red Cross Club and around half of those people helped at the drive.

According to Goetz seeing students help out is the best part of this particular event.

“The best part of blood drives is watching students experience donating for the first time, and watching them be able to see what they’re doing, see how it affects other people,” Goetz said.

19ibraun@usd489.com