Blood Drives Save Lives
November 1, 2022
Each year, Clear Lake High School partakes in a blood drive, which allows staff and students to give helping hands to those in need. Many people apart of the falcon community sign up each year to donate blood for the drive, which is accompanied by medical professionals from MD Anderson. This year, the only requirements to donate included that individuals must be 17 or older and weigh at least 110 pounds.
According to the American Red Cross Association, blood is always something that is in demand. Approximately every two seconds, there is a US citizen in need of blood. By donating blood just once, up to three lives can be saved.
The idea of needles is a very controversial topic and many people feel eerie regarding the donation of blood, however over 100 people in the lake community chose to put this fear aside and help save lives.
“I’ve been in medical classes before so I know the good that donating blood does as well as the amount of people in need of it,” Berlyn Driscoll said. “I really don’t like needles so I was definitely nervous.”
Along with Driscoll, Neveah Strother, the president of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), agrees that the donation of blood is highly beneficial and recommended.
“I’m the HOSA President so I went along with Mrs. Williams to coordinate it and I also wanted to save lives,” Neveah Strother said. “This is my third time donating so I pretty much knew what to expect and it was a really smooth process.”
Due to the seriousness of blood donation, many precautions were taken prior to the process in order to rule out any abnormalities or deficiencies to make sure health is in check.
“Once you signed in, they asked a series of questions about your lifestyle to rule out anything that could possibly alter what is in your blood,” Berlyn Driscoll said. “After donating, they have you sit for ten minutes and eat a couple snacks just to make sure you don’t faint or anything.”
The staff and students who donated blood, each had one bag taken. Since the body is made up of a majority of blood, taking just this amount can cause a multitude of effects such as nausea, fatigue, and overall body aches.
“Thankfully for me, everything went pretty smoothly throughout the process,” Neveah Strother said. “I felt fine afterwards, just a little tired, but I was still able to help volunteer afterwards.”
Clear Lake High School is a school of character and it has been proven through this extraordinary blood drive held each year. Many men, women, and children suffer from illnesses in which blood necessity is a major aspect. However, lake has shown their strength and determination to hopefully save many lives in need.
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