Sophia Redfern
Reporter
The first of two semi-annual blood drives for Blood Centers of the Pacific on the SHHS campus collected 27 pints of blood from Sacred Heart students, faculty and staff.
“I wanted to help somebody,” senior Naomi Kunstler said. “I’m also lucky to be healthy enough to give blood so I wanted to share it.”
Blood donations save 4.5 million Americans each year with Americans needing blood every 3 seconds, according to Brookhaven National Laboratory Blood Drive.
“The whole process took about an hour,” Kunstler said. “I had to fill out a long form and answer questions then go into booth with the nurse. They took my blood pressure, heart rate and iron samples then had me squeeze a ball to get veins popped out. Once they find a good vein, the nurse put the needle in.”
Giving blood does not decrease the donor’s strength, but it may cause light headedness which could lead to fainting, according to Blood Centers of the Pacific.
Donors are kept for 15 minutes afterward their donation and given cookies and juice to heighten their blood sugar in order to prevent severe dizziness. Anyone who is in good health, at least 16 years old and weighs at minimum of 110 pounds may donate blood every 56 days, according to Blood Centers of the Pacific.
Not many people donate blood according to the American Red Cross that reports only three out of 100 people in American are donors.
“I just really hate needles,” junior Maddy MacLeod said. “I can’t handle it. I don’t like the feeling of blood being sucked out of my body. It makes me cringe and I almost passed out when I had to do some blood testing.”
There is always a high demand for blood donors due to the low donations, with the largest shortages of blood occurring during the summer and winter holidays, according to Brookhaven.
“Everyone should do it if they are eligable,” Kunstler said. “It doesn’t hurt you and it helps people.”
Blood Centers of the Pacific is scheduled to take donations April 26. More information on how to donate blood is available at http://www.bloodcenters.org/blood-donation.
