ASG hosts blood drive
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and in the midst of a muggy Wednesday afternoon, students were busy saving lives at an all-day blood drive.
Saddleback College hosted the blood drive in accordance with the American Red Cross to help those in need.
ASG organized and held in the student lounge, making it easy for students to attend around their class schedules.
Group blood drives currently account for roughly half of all blood donations in the U.S. After donating blood, it will take few hours to replace the fluid, and around four weeks to replace red blood cells.
ASG’s goal was to reach 84 donors. By the end of the day 88 units of blood was taken in, which was more then the goal. Those who gave blood had fulfilled many requirements to ensure the safety of the blood and the person giving it.
“To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17-years-old or 16 years old if allowed by state law, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days) or a donation of double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days),” according to the American Red Cross.
“‘Healthy’ means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, ‘healthy’ also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control.”
Other requirements at the drive included participating in a quick survey and a finger prick to test hemoglobin and iron levels.
The blood is then sent to various facilities for 13 different tests. Of these, 11 of the tests analyze blood for factors such as drug use and disease, including AIDS.
“They take very extensive measures,” said ASG Secretary of Publicity Kendall Bober, 20, communication and blood drive co-chair . “It is to ensure the safety of the patients.”
Many students attended, some of whom were fearful of donating blood for the first time.
“It’s not the needles that I’m scared of,” said Shelby Nobel, 19, architecture. “I’m scared of them taking stuff out of me.”
When donating blood, one pint of blood is extracted from each participant.
Other students were returning regulars, who give blood often for a variety of reasons.
“I do it because it goes for a good cause and I like to help people out,” said Jeff Mueller, 21, undecided. “The free food is a bonus.”
Students and faculty all over campus flocked to the blood drive to help out.
The more blood that is donated results in more lives being saved, and this was definitely on the minds of the generous donors present.