by EMILY SZPAK Staff Writer
The auxiliary gym here at Monroe Township High School held a blood drive this past Wednesday, June 4. The New York Blood Association came into our school and set up a donation center to collect blood from students and staff.
The blood trucks arrived at the school with a clear mission – to provide the highest quality blood products to patients in the New York area. In order to achieve this, the blood center and individual officials are thorough with their process.
Upon arriving to a blood drive, the New York Blood Association questions each and every one of their applicants and performs routine vital checks. The questions you answer truthfully will determine whether or not you are an eligible candidate. As a safe organization, it is important that they are only exporting the best quality of blood to any patients in need.
The process of giving blood was fairly simple. Once a person gets through the rigorous pre-screening, they make their way over to the big and scary chair! The team is very well trained and follow protocols that make the process safe.
Once the needle is inserted into your vein, which takes 2 seconds, the scary part is over. That two second prick of a needle is worth the gift you are able to provide. The minute pain you experience for a split second can save a life-long pain many blood users suffer from.
The blood flows out painlessly into a bag, separating all of the components into separate bags. After about 10 minutes, the process is done, the needle is removed, and you can enjoy some cookies!
“I donate every year, and this year I donated platelets, which is a longer process, but just as needed. It’s my way to give back,” says senior Mike Seppi.
Our school did a good job in executing the blood drive, and the auxiliary was lively and full of energy during the drive. Many volunteer students helped run the drive. Student volunteers signed blood donors in and out, and escorted new donors to a seat, making sure they did not faint. Dressed in hula skirts and funny hats, the students made the blood drive enjoyable.
They also got rid of those first time jitters by having a face painting station and handing out stickers. Aside from the wonderful New York Blood Association staff, our student staff was very impressive. Monroe Township did a good job of representing our community.
The drive had a great turn out of students, staff and other members of the community eager to donate blood. In order to encourage students to participate, the gym teachers have promised an ice cream party to the class with the most participants. While ice cream is delicious, the reward of knowing you very well might have saved someone’s life is good enough satisfaction for anyone.
“When I was a baby, I had to receive a number of transfusions. This is my way of giving it all back,” says an anonymous senior.
What are you waiting for? Find another blood drive near you, or even help sponsor one!
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