Blood drive donators exceed expected amount

By Helen Hertz '24
Last Wednesday in the game gym, twenty-three students and faculty gathered to 
donate blood for hospitals around the Roanoke area. For the North Cross blood donations you have to be at least sixteen with parental permission, but if you are 18 you are free to walk in and donate blood.

    Giving blood is no easy feat. Along with being generally painful, having blood taken can cause someone to faint or be dizzy. According to Medical News Today, bruising, fatigue, and minor bleeding can occur. So, the students and faculty who donated should all be applauded for their services. 

    On Wednesday all around the school, you could hear students discussing their experiences giving blood. Several mentions of passing out for a few minutes or feeling tired. You also could hear students talk about the many attempts it can sometimes take to find a vein. Which from experience, can hurt quite a bit. As well as the talk of giving blood, you can see the donors sporting tiny Band-Aids.

 “The blood drive was a huge hit!” says Connor Erwin, the director of this year’s blood drive. He also believes that this was “The biggest turnout” North Cross has ever had. The goal of the blood drive was originally 15 donations. The goal was absolutely crushed, beating the goal by 6 more donors. Twenty-one out of the Twenty-three people who showed up were viable donors.

Giving blood may seem small, but it is extremely generous.  According to the Red Cross, just 1 blood donation can save up to 3 lives. About 43,000 pints of all blood types are donated each day, each one needed equally as much as the last. Out of the 46 million people who receive blood each year, one of those people could be a family member, a friend, or just someone passing you on the sidewalk. 

A massive thank you goes out to everyone who was able to or attempted to give blood. Someone out there will be grateful for your contribution.