By: Rayanna Shwom
New York state is currently facing an emergency blood shortage, meaning that New York hospitals have critically low levels of blood. About two thousand blood donations are needed every day in New York, but blood centers are having an extremely hard time filling this demand. This is why it was important for students at High School East to donate blood during this year’s first blood drive, and on November 20, many students recognized this significance and did donate to this life-saving cause.
Twice a year, students are presented with an amazing opportunity to save up to three lives by donating blood. This year, the Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD, club partnered with the New York Blood Center to collect blood donations from students at High School East. Volunteers from SADD made announcements and waited outside the cafeteria with sign up sheets for the blood drive for four days with a goal of getting fifty donations. On the day of the blood drive, an astonishing eighty students showed up to donate blood! Although not all were eligible to donate due to health concerns, in the end, fifty-nine students were able to donate blood, which exceeded SADD’s expectations by an impressive nine donations and set a new school record for blood donations. If you donated blood on November 20, you should feel very proud of yourself; by donating blood, you have made a huge difference and saved up to three lives.
The next blood drive will be in the spring. SADD has now set its goal for the spring blood drive at sixty donations, and the club is planning to take measures to meet this goal, such as spreading awareness about the blood drive to families through calls home and hosting sign-ups directly after school outside of the auditorium. If you are considering donating, you must be sixteen years old and at least 110 pounds. Further information about eligibility to donate will be shared in gym classes as the next blood drive approaches. Blood can be donated every 56 days, so if you made a donation at the blood drive on November 20, you can still safely donate blood again in the spring. Replenishing New York’s blood supply is critical to the survival of many hospital patients, and you can make a difference simply by donating blood. When you give blood, you give someone a second chance at life.
Photo courtesy of redcross.org
