By Peter Mikhael
Senior Kat Anderson leaned back into the medical chair to read “The Thief Lord” as a bag hanging from the side of the chair collected a pint of her blood. Coordinated by the Health Magnet, the Carter BloodCare drive coincided with Richardson Reads It this year.
“Today is Richardson Reads It – I’m going to be reading all period long, and my students will be reading all period long,” AP English 3 teacher David Townsend said. “It’s also the blood drive, and that’s kind of fun, not only because you could have fun reading, you can also do a good deed. You’re just sitting there anyway – you’ve got something to read, you’re giving blood – it’s a good thing all around. It’s a win-win for anyone who does it.”
Townsend said that the pictures of students and teachers giving blood look the same each year. But because of the alignment of the two events, Townsend said he hoped it would be different this year.
“I think it’s really good for people, and it’s good for me as well, because I get that satisfaction of being able to know that I’m helping somebody,” Anderson said. “I’m going to be reading too. Richardson Reads It is always fun for me, and I do anticipate the blood drive, because it’s really nice to know that I’m helping someone.”
As members of HOSA, a national future health professionals organization, Health Magnet students host the blood drive twice a year, which counts for the national service project. In a service project, HOSA chapters sponsor national healthcare organizations to provide community service. This year’s service project is Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Senior Health Science student Aisleen Menezes said the event also helps spread awareness about the impact of donating blood to the younger demographic of students at Richardson.
Menezes said donating blood helps with treating blood cancers, many of which have no cure. Smaller hospitals that don’t have blood banks also need the donations to save people who get into severe accidents.
“Each donation saves about three lives, and it’s especially important with the evolving of a lot of blood cancers,” Menezes said. “We need more donations – we need more people to contribute to the growth of blood banks, that way, at smaller locations, hospitals have access to the resources they need to save lives.”
To donate, students must be older than 17, above 110 pounds, and have a healthy hemoglobin count. Students who left the country during the past year also cannot donate. As a result, many students said they wanted to donate but couldn’t because of the regulations.
“I’ve been trying to do it since last year, but I wasn’t of age,” senior Wendy Diaz said. “So every time I see them on streets – on buses – I want to do it, and now I actually got to. I don’t feel like it’s just saving a life. It’s not because I want to feel better, but because people out there need it, and if I have something to give them, then why not share it with somebody who actually needs it. People said I would feel light-headed, but I really don’t mind.”
Other students, like some athletes, are ineligible because they have strenuous activities in the evening.
“It kind of sucks that the majority of athletes are ruled out because the Carter Blood drive event takes place on a Friday,” Menezes said. “We have talked to the administrators to let them know, and hopefully, next year we’ll be able to have a blood drive on a Thursday rather than a Friday so that our athletes and cheerleaders and band kids can participate as well.”
The Health Magnet students said they made sure students were taken care of by the health care professionals and escorted them to the restrooms immediately after having donating blood. Donators like Junior Ashton Bryson, however, experienced some distress after their donation.
Bryson passed out after giving blood, but after 20 seconds, she woke up and recovered.
“They had me drink Powerade, and after that I threw up,” Bryson said. “After I threw up, I felt completely fine – just a little tired. I would definitely donate again because being sick is worth saving lives.”
While many students said they were afraid of donating, Menezes said there was a good turnout.
“I think it was great,” Menezes said. “I think that a lot of students, who I wouldn’t have thought would donate, did. And I think that really brings out a humane side of them. That’s a really minor aspect of it, but one that I personally really like.”
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