The importance of donating blood
Ryan Lien (left) donates blood while (right) nurse Sara Lopez performs the transfusion. (Lizzie Williams/Lariat)
Saddleback College’s Associated Student Government, Hoag Blood Donor Services, ‘Be A Hero, Become A Donor,’ and OneLegacy hosted “Save a Life Week,” a blood drive as well as a bone marrow and organ/tissue registry, this week from Monday, March 5 to Thursday, March 8.
The event kicked off on Monday with a panel presentation, “The Journey of the Ultimate Gift,” led by Joe Salcido, adjunct faculty in the human services department and a member on the kidney transplant list. Other panel members included the transplant coordinator at Mission Hospital; Steve Lang, a kidney donor; Lacey Wood, an organ transplant recipient; and a representative from OneLegacy.
The blood drive was in the SSC 212 where the medical staff welcomed both those who had made appointments as well as walk-ins.
Sara Lopez, a nurse, said the drive was successful with over 24 units of blood donated in just one day during the drive. She said ever since she was little, she has always wanted to care for people.
“I use to go and feed the handicapped in elementary school,” Lopez said. “As I got older it built into more of a passion to continue to care for others.”
Ryan Lien (left) donates blood while (right) nurse Sara Lopez performs the transfusion. (Lizzie Williams/Lariat)
She became a nurse at 19 and is currently working in blood banking. She wishes she could donate blood, unfortunately, she is underweight. According to United Blood Services, in order to donate blood with a donor must be at least 16 years old, five feet tall, and weigh at least 110 pounds.
“I do stupid things, so one day I would want someone in my shoes to donate blood for him if the need be,” said economics student Ryan Lien.
Lien has donated blood on multiple occasions and was nervous his first time. But over the years, he has gotten used to it.
“You are never too cool to save lives,” he said, “Plus, you get all these delicious free snacks.”
Student James Helman said he has no special reason for donating, he just likes to help where he can.
“It can help people and it’s not an inconvenience for me,” he said.
Hoag Blood Donor Services is part of a nonprofit regional healthcare delivery network in Orange County, California. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals, 10 urgent care centers, seven health centers and a network of more than 1,500 physicians, 5,000 employees and 2,000 volunteers, according to its website.
The Los Angeles-based OneLegacy is a nonprofit, federally-designated Organ Procurement Organization. It “is dedicated to achieving the donation of life-saving and healing organs and tissues for those in need of transplants and to providing a sense of purpose and comfort to those families we serve,” according to its website. OneLegacy works with over 200 hospitals, 11 transplant centers and serves a population of nearly 20 million people.
The American Red Cross lists the facts about blood needs on its website. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day. Each red blood cell transfusion is approximately three pints. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood, according to the website.
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