The 17th annual Red Cross Blood Drive invited many willing participants to donate blood. The blood collected each year is shipped to a blood bank in Farmington, Connecticut, and then used as needed by the local hospitals. Many Choate students contribute in the drive, but donors must be over 17 years of age and over 110 pounds, so many students did not qualify.
Choate has sponsored fall and spring blood drives for over 25 years. The senior class traditionally co-sponsors the event as a way of giving back to the school. Seventy-two people attended the Blood Drive, but about twenty were turned away for various reasons. Low iron counts or travel restrictions prohibited willing potential donors from donating.
This year, the Choate community met the Red Cross’s goal of collecting fifty full pints of blood. Mary Pashley, the site coordinator for the Red Cross and the director of Community Service at Choate, has volunteered in the Blood Drive for over twelve years. Her role is to promote the event, solicit donors, arrange for site setup, monitor the event, and then evaluate the overall experience. Although they collected an outstanding amount of blood, Pashley said that she, “of course, always aim[s] higher.”
Taylor Visoski ’09, a first time donor who turned 17 in November, decided to overcome her fear of needles and “just donate.” Although she was “a tad nervous,” she found her experience to be pleasant thanks to the nurse who took her blood. Afterwards Taylor said she felt slightly dizzy and light-headed, but the effect did not last long. She was also told not to exercise for the rest of the day. For her, the goals of the blood drive made donating an obvious thing to do: “It was for a good cause and that’s what counts.”
Some students attended the blood drive after school but were dismayed to learn that they would not be able to donate. For some, the issue was finding enough time between campus commitments. Many students were surprised to learn that the process would take over an hour and could not donate during their free period.
Others could not give blood because their iron levels were not high enough. The Red Cross volunteers pricked each potential donor’s finger to take small sample before blood withdrawal. If the sample of blood did not contain enough iron, the donor could opt to have a nurse take a second sample, which often showed an elevated iron level from the previous sample. Unfortunately, for many the iron level did not reach a satisfactory point for the Red Cross, which wants to ensure both that the blood donated will be iron-rich and that the donor will not become anemic after donating.
Others were deterred after they reported that they had spent time out of the country. Donors were required to report each area they had visited over the past three years outside of the United States and Canada with the amount of time spent in each location. The Red Cross then decided whether the donor could have been exposed to disease. Inhabitants of the UK from 1982 to 1996 could not donate because of the risk of Mad Cow Disease—even long-time vegetarians.
There are other ways to donate to the Red Cross for those who cannot donate blood for any reason. It is the mission of the Red Cross to “be there and help those in need,” and anyone can help the Red Cross pursue this mission by donating blood, services, or financial gifts. With only about an hour of one’s time, one can donate blood and save a life—with more, one can help others do the same.
According to the American Red Cross, a blood transfusion is needed in the U.S. almost every two seconds, and one unit of blood can help save the lives of three people.
Most private and public schools provide opportunities to donate blood, and Pashley says, “We really do cater to first time donors.” This Thursday, many new donors presented themselves. Although Pashley was “thrilled,” she hopes that “students begin to understand how important donating blood is within their communities.” She also hopes to see more faculty and staff members at the next blood drive in October 2008.
