The blood drive took place on Tuesday, March 23, and was held in the gym. The drive was sponsored by both Life Source and student council. Around 150 students and teachers participated in the blood drive.
“Our goal was 119 units [pints], so we were very happy that we met our goal,” student council supervisor Julie Delaney said.
Donating blood is a surprisingly simple process: registration, a review of the donor’s medical history, a mini physical, the donation and then refreshments. The actual donation only takes 10-12 minutes, but the full process takes about an hour and ten minutes. A person usually donates about a pint of blood, which in turn can save up to three lives. Several small test tubes of blood are also collected in order to be tested for diseases. The blood donated can be used for various patients including car accident victims, cancer patients and sickle cell disease victims.
“It felt really good knowing that I was helping out patients who needed blood and potentially saving three lives,” sophomore and donor Marissa Ovasapian said.
The next blood drive will occur sometime in the fall, and registration will take place outside the school cafeteria. More information can be found about upcoming blood drives in the Chicagoland area at http://www.lifesource.org/.
picture courtesy of Life Source