“How bad is this going to hurt?” he asked, his voice trembling. He looked terrified, gazing at the needle as he offered his arm.
Despite the pain of the prick, the blood drive last Wednesday was a gushing success. About 90 volunteers were pulsating to donate. The blood drive took place in the Driscoll Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“[I donated blood] because I always do it and it’s convenient when they are doing it right on campus. I think it’s good for my body and because I am traveling outside the country soon, I know it won’t be feasible then,” said junior Paige Homeyer.
Junior Zarah Brown agreed. “[Giving blood] is an easy, free way to help people. I’m also going to South Africa soon so I want to donate while I am still able to,” said Brown.
According to Glenn Fee, director of the Community Action Program, which sponsored the blood drive, any potential donors must not have been out of the United States prior to giving blood.
“Not all students who travel out of the country are ineligible to donate, but many rural areas in developing nations have a higher risk of malaria. Generally, if you travel in one of those areas, you are deferred for one year,” said Fee.
Bonfils Blood Center held the drive
According to the center’s web site, the approximate distribution of blood types in the U.S. population is as follows: O positive is 37.4 percent, O negative is 6.6 percent, A positive is 35.8 percent, A negative is 6.3 percent, B positive is 8.5 percent, B negative is 1.5 percent, AB positive is 3.4 percent and AB negative is .6 percent.
The Web site states that every year over 30,000 people from all ethnic communities are diagnosed with acute blood diseases. If a patient finds someone who matches their tissue type, there is a good chance they could be treated with a marrow or stem cell transplant. About 30 percent of patients have a blood type that matches with a family member’s.
Giving blood typically takes about an hour. The actual blood donation takes five to 10 minutes, but it takes time to fill out the donor questionnaire, be interviewed, get the donor’s hemoglobin cell percentage count and enjoy refreshments afterwards. So even though donors aren’t in and out in a heartbeat, Laurie Bowen, team leader of the blood drive crew, said it’s well worth it.
“We generally take about one pint of blood from each person, so the average person saves three lives,” she said.
The next drive will be held on July 16. Students can also donate at any Bonfils Blood Center. Visit www.bonfils.org for more information.
