More than 38,000 blood donations are needed everyday. Paso High School collected 28 pints of blood and together we saved 84 lives. 28 pints is about 31 plastic water bottles! Around 34 people came and donated, 10-12 of those people were students from our school. On Thursday October 31st, the school collaborated with Vitalant to hold a Fall Blood Drive in Room 503. There were 4 phlebotomists, and a volunteer. A phlebotomist is a medical professional who is trained to draw blood for both children and adults. The school was opened to the outside too, and most of the donation were from locals.
“We saved 84 lives, which is really cool. I believe we had 34 people come in from between the community and our students that were able to come.” (Jennifer Bedrosian)
According to Red Cross Blood, “ …blood donors help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer”. Blood is a vital necessity in the healthcare system. One blood donation can save up to 3 lives!
Kyle Dart, a senior in Paso Robles High School, is a second time blood donor, and donates blood because he likes being part of saving people. He felt comfortable there, and the phlebotomists made him feel reassured.
Another donor, Ken Werfelmann, a local citizen, has been donating blood for over 40 years. He says he donates blood because it’s something he could do.
Phlebotomist Veronica Cruz described the process of donating blood. Donors can call to make a reservation or just walk in. They are given the choice if they want to have a snack to munch on while they are waiting. It is important to have eaten before the donation because donors can get a little dizzy or lightheaded if they are on an empty stomach. The Phlebotomists then take the donor and look through their medical history. They also check their weight and height and make sure they feel 100% okay. The process of drawing whole blood takes around 15 minutes, and if you decide to choose a power red donation the process takes about 30 minutes. A red blood donation is a donation where a special machine is used to only collect red blood cells, while returning the plasma and platelets back. When they are finished they make sure to wrap the donor’s arm up and give aftercare instructions. If a donor is driving, then they suggest you wait around five minutes before they go to make sure it is safe for you to drive. They then pack the blood up and ship it to a lab to make sure it is clear to use.
For more information on blood donations go to:https://www.redcrossblood.org/ and https://www.vitalant.org/
