RES News: School Blood Drive

By Bella Gamboa

March 2, 2022

Blood is powerful! It keeps the body running by carrying oxygen and nutrients all throughout the body. It also carries toxic objects to the kidneys, lungs, and digestive system to be eradicated from the body. This magical substance does these jobs while fighting infections, regulating body temperature, and carrying hormones. Someone without sufficient blood supply, significant blood loss, and/or contaminated blood would be in serious trouble.

Clean blood is very important. For this reason, donating blood saves lives! There are many different reasons for why patients need blood; Patients range from car crash victims, to sickle cell cases, to cancer patients. There are many different types of patients who need blood to save their lives, making donations critical!

There are never too many donors! There are over 4.5 million people in the United States who will need a blood transfusion every year. Consequently, blood is in serious demand. However, donated blood (if not used) needs to be replenished constantly, given that it has a 5-42 day shelf life. So, there is always a need for more donations. Conveniently, these donations don’t affect the donor negatively at all. There is no risk for contracting disease because new, sterile equipment is used for each donor. Plus, the donated amount of blood is typically replaced and replenished naturally within 24 hours. Scientifically, the human body will not be detrimentally affected by losing/donating a pint of blood, and a pint of blood can save up to 3 lives.

Sadly, we are facing the worst blood shortage in more than a decade. Frequency of blood donations has decreased due to the pandemic. Plus, doctors have to make tough decisions about who is eligible to receive and donate.

So, how can you donate? Resurrection’s very own Scrub’s Club is hosting a blood drive March 18th from 8pm to 3pm in the school library! The requirements will be left at the bottom of this article. If you qualify, have some compassion, and show up to help! Giving blood only takes 15 minutes, so we hope to see a lot of people showing up to help their fellow humans. You can sign up to donate through the survey link that will be released. Until then, stay tuned for more information and updates.

Requirements and Basic Info:

-When will it happen? Friday, March 18, 8am-3pm. Giving blood only takes 15 minutes, but the process from start to finish will be about an hour long.

-Where is it located? Resurrection College Prep Library

-Who can participate? Must be 16 years or older (16 and 17 year olds will need parental permission) You must meet the following weight requirements to qualify.

-How tall are you? Then, you must weigh…

5”................................................................. 138 lbs

5”1’.............................................................. 133 lbs

5”2’ ............................................................. 129 lbs

5”3’.............................................................. 124 lbs

5”5’.............................................................. 120 lbs

5”6’ or taller................................................. 110 lbs

A Video Interview with Mr. Wold: