The American Red Cross held a blood drive Mon. Oct. 20 and Tues. Oct. 21 in the HUB from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Students and Staff alike participated in the event to aid the American Red Cross and those in need.
Outside of the HUB MPR room, where the drive was occurring, a number of students and staff waited patiently with their numbers as the blood giving process commenced. Participants enter a screening room first where they are asked a series of questions which determine if they are an eligible donor.
Following the screening the participants gave about one pint of blood each. The whole process took about an hour for each participant, but everyone who donated to the drive could possibly have saved up to three lives.
Sean Carney, a first year, gave blood Tues. afternoon. “I like to donate blood because you get cool T-shirts usually and it feels good to donate,” he said. This year T-shirts were being given out which supported the Red Sox. “I’m O – negative so I figure I should donate as much as possible,” he added. O – negative blood can be used in everyone and those with O – negative blood can only receive that type, which is why it is always in great demand.
Mike Parisi, a first year, also gave blood Tues., “I’m donating blood because I feel good about it,” he said. According to the American Red Cross website Givelife.org, every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. However, only 5% of the eligible U.S. population donates blood each year.
Blood is necessary for emergencies and for those living with cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell anemia and other illnesses. Donors can give blood every 56 days, according to the Give life website. While one pint of blood might sound like a lot to give, the human body actually has 10 to 12 pints of blood, and a healthy body will quickly replenish blood.
A full list of donor guidelines can be found on the Red Cross website. Some of the main facts are that if a donor has recently received a tattoo, they must wait 12 months before donating to prevent hepatitis. Also, to protect recipients from getting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) blood is not accepted from those who have lived in some parts of Africa since 1977. This is because the Type-O strain of HIV is very hard to detect on modern blood tests and comes from Africa.
Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds to be eligible to donate blood. It is recommended that donors drink plenty of fluids beforehand and get a good night sleep as well as eat foods rich in iron. It is suggested that donors avoid fatty foods because fat in the blood can affect the way that the blood is tested, and it may have to be discarded if the blood cannot be tested.
The next time a blood drive comes to Plymouth, students and staff alike who never thought donating blood would be possible are encouraged to attend the drive and give it their best shot. An hour of time could be long enough to save three lives.