Saving Lives in Defi
By: Jack Brubaker-Flood
The day is October 22, 2024, and Defiance College is hosting its first blood draw of the year. This blood drive was run by the Red Cross Foundation and provided a way for people on campus to show the good in the hearts and, through donating their blood, save someone’s life. When arriving at the room, the nurse greeted people and handed out information packets. This packet contained not only what to expect but also showed the requirements that a person needed to fulfill in order to donate their blood.
The next step of the process involved identification verification, as well as some tests. In order to donate blood, one must not have a fever, have a stable blood pressure, and then test for a proper hemoglobin to see if it is in the right range for donating. If all tests check out, next on the list is giving the blood itself. The nurses overall did a great job of making sure that my safety was the number one priority, as well as being very attentive and polite. Each blood draw takes roughly ten minutes to complete. The ideal amount the Red Cross wants is one pint, though the amount taken depends on gender, height, and weight.
Donating blood is not painless, and it can lead to lightheadedness and maybe even throwing up if on a very empty stomach. However, these physical symptoms do not compare to the fact that exchanging a little discomfort for another person’s life is a wonderful sacrifice to make.
While there, I ran into fellow DC student Ryan Reckner and got to ask him about his opinions on the event. Keeping it short and sweet, Reckner said, “I think it was very good and can help people”. Overall, I will say for my first ever blood donation it was a great first experience. It was run very well and it truly was a great feeling for anyone afterwards knowing they potentially could change and save someone’s life. I encourage everyone else who can give blood to go out and do their part because even though it might hurt a bit, you will feel a lot better knowing that your minor pains could end up easing someone else from theirs.
