The Blood Drive is February 19

The+Blood+Drive+is+February+19

Noelle McGinley, Staff Writer

Did you know that five million Americans will a need blood transfusion this year? Most of these Americans are cancer patients, and when they run out of blood, doctors have to pick and choose who gets blood and who doesn’t. This should not be happening and you can help. About 37% percent of the U.S Population is eligible to donate but only about 10% actually does, and we need to raise that number. On February 19 Bloodoworks is coming to give students the opportunity to donate one pint of blood and  to be apart of the 10%  that is saving lives. Did you know that for every pint of blood you donate you are saving three lives! When it comes to donating blood there are some qualifications you have to meet.

For people under the age of 18 you must:

  1. Have a signed parent permission form
  2.  For females, you must weigh 125lbs or more
  3. For males, you must weigh 114lbs or more

If people have tattoos or have been out of the country you must:

  1. Have had your tattoo done professionally to have no wait time to donate blood
  2. If you have a tattoos such as ‘stick-and-poke’ or your parents have a tattoo gun, it must have been done over a year ago to be eligible to donate blood
  3. Have had traveled outside of the U.S.  (Canada does not count as outside of the U.S) over a year ago. The exception is if the place you have traveled to has no risk of malaria, then you could donate blood.

For people 18 years or older, you are able to donate and you have no restrictions because you are no an adult and have the liberty of saying whether or not you are safe or think you want to/can donate blood.

If you meet all of those requirements and you are eligible to donate and you have your signed parent permission form, you can sign up on the sign up sheet in the office and choose the time you want donate. It benefits the early students who sign up because they are able to pick the time they prefer. Permission forms should be returned to the folder outside Mrs. Corwin’s classroom.

When the day comes, here is what you can expect will happen:

  1. You will receive a call slip excusing you from class about 15 minutes before your actual time.
  2. You will go to the mat room and they will ask to see your ID and they will have you sign in
  3. Then, they will ask you about your health, sexual behavior, past experiences, etc. then they will check your weight and test your blood making sure you are actually eligible (so don’t lie).
  4. Then, they will draw your blood and after you’ve donated, you will receive cookies and juice.
  5. Then, you will go back to class.

The whole process will take about an hour out of your day. If you are thinking about donating, please do! If you do,  remember to drink plenty of water and eat plenty of food, this makes the process easier and it makes it less likely to feel light-headed or pass out.