Blood drive comes to campus

Sabrina Hernandez
      Staff Writer

UNC-Greensboro’s blood drive was a daylong event, lasting from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The project intended to contribute to the community through the donation of required blood to recovering patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions.

According to the American Red Cross’s website, 30,000 blood transfusions occur each day, and a blood transfusion is needed every two seconds.

Typically, blood donations take about 45 minutes to an hour to complete the process. The Red Cross advised volunteers to be sure to come prepared when donating blood. The Red Cross encouraged having a light meal and plenty to drink before the extraction of blood in order to help prevent fainting and other adverse effects.

To offset the potential effects, participants could eat and drink free drinks and snacks in order to refrain from common symptoms of giving blood.

Joel Martinez, a 21-year-old business student, was excited to help save lives through his efforts of blood donation. He said that he had given blood multiple times in high school and enjoys the free snacks, but most importantly, he loves the fact that this is his own personal way to give back to the community, which has done so much for him as a college student.

“It’s cool to know that a quick sacrificial needle in the arm benefits a child or an elderly person who suffered a life-altering accident,” Martinez said. “It’s a good feeling inside knowing that you contributed parts of your human body to the science society to ‘recycle’ as a means to reuse inside another person’s body. That is just mind blowing to me.”

There were a few students who had to be escorted toward the exit after some discomfort, but these are normal symptoms for those who donate blood.

Donors had to bring their Red Cross donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of identification and provide important medical information such as the names of any medications they were currently taking.

Donors could also give double red cell blood donations at this event. This donation is similar to a whole blood donation, except a special machine is used to allow the donor to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation while returning his or her plasma and platelets. Possible serious health risks come with double blood donations.

Individuals who are not categorized under the required height and weight fulfillments are not permitted to donate blood due to potential hazardous health risks such as dizziness, vomiting, inability to independently walk, faint and feeling weak or lightheaded.

Double blood donations were an option for donors with blood types A-, B-, O+, and O-.

The most heavily distributed blood type in the United States is type O-, and the universal donor is O+.

People with AB blood type are universal recipients because individuals who have this type have the ability to receive any blood type.

For more information on these events, students can contact the EUC Assistant Director for Facilities & Services Kathleen McGirty.