100 students registered for this year’s fall blood drive hosted by Carter BloodCare, managed by HOSA sponsor teacher Krystal Harbert and HOSA student volunteers. 57 of the students were first-time donors and 71 units were collected.
“The blood drive is a good way for the community to collectively be in one spot, for the students to help out, and to save lives,” Harbert said.
It is recommended for donors to eat balanced meals and hydrate for a few days prior to donating. This will help prevent donors from feeling dizzy or faint after donating.
“I probably drank three to four liters of water,” junior Kenzie Saskiw said. “ I had a yogurt bowl and lots of fruit so my blood sugar was up. Also no caffeine for at least a day or two before and after.”
One of the reasons students are hesitant to donate is because of their fear of needles. For Saskiw, this was a real obstacle. She decided to donate despite this and also hoped to overcome her fear in the process.
“I actually am so terrified of needles but just knowing that it helps so many people made me actually stick to it,” Saskiw said. “I mean I only cried once.”
On the day of the drive, volunteers run a large part of it. HOSA students are encouraged to volunteer to get prepared for later careers in healthcare.
“Participating in the drive gives the students more exposure,” Harbert said. “It teaches them leadership, organization, how to talk to others and answer questions. These are all important qualities to have.”
Volunteers’ tasks include walking students back to class to monitor any symptoms, signing donors in, and floaters who step in to help where needed. One of the volunteers was sophomore Duaa Iqbal. Her tasks included walking students from the trailers back to the school and checking students in and out.
“My favorite part was checking in people because I got more hands-on experience and I got to talk to a lot of people,” Iqbal said. “I really like volunteering for these types of events because it makes me feel good. It’s for a good reason and I like contributing to it.”
This year, Harbert was very impressed with the way the volunteers managed the drive.
“Two different people from Carter complimented us on how respectful the donors were and also how our volunteers ran the drive so smoothly,” Harbert said. “They even took pictures of the volunteers as an example to show other schools.”
The spring blood drive will take place in March. Harbert hopes to have another truck so that more students can donate and the process can be quicker. Students interested in donating during the spring drive must be at least 16-years-old. 16-year-olds need to have a parent consent form signed.
“Doing the blood drive really opened my eyes to how many people need blood but aren’t able to receive it,” Saskiw said. “I’m still a little bit scared of needles but I would do it again because it just helps so many people. You may be uncomfortable for a little bit, but you’re saving three lives for every person you do it for. It’s worth it in the end.”
