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Chloe Johnson
May 8, 2017 - Each year, the Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS) Key Club organizes a
blood drive to donate to the Community Blood Center (CBC). This year, the blood
drive was held Wednesday, May 3. According to Donna Teuscher, a Donor Relations,
Account Representative at CBC, “The Community Blood Center is the community’s
blood bank, we serve 15 counties. We take care of 25 local hospitals. The Community
Blood Center needs 350 people to donate blood each day in order to maintain
local hospital blood supply.”
Furthermore, hospitals schedule surgeries that
require the blood that is received from the blood drives. For instance,
transplants require 150 pints of blood. Across the counties, there are 226 high
school blood drives held per year. Mrs. Teuscher stated, “People aged 16-25 are
the fasting growing population of blood donors.”
Students started preparing for their donation on Sunday.
They were instructed to drink water that was equivalent to half of their body
weight. If students didn’t drink water, it could have taken up to 20 minutes
for them to donate. However, if they chose to drink water, the amount of time
it took them to donate was cut in half (5 to 10 minutes). Also, they were told
not to ingest sugar and caffeine because it dehydrated them, and it raised
their pulse. Students needed to have a pulse under 100 to donate. The last step
in preparation was to eat a high protein breakfast the morning of the donation.
After donating, the students started restoring their loss of
sugar by eating cookies and drinking juice. In one donation, students lost 650
calories and 1 pound. Students were not allowed to wear hoodies because after
their donation, the heart had to work harder to restore the lost blood. Also,
the students could not participate in any physical activity. They had just saved a
life, so the students were told to chill.
According to Chris Pickle, the Community
Blood Center Education Specialist to schools, “Your blood matters, yes it
does.” The blood is actually separated to be used in different ways. Red blood
cells can be used in many different procedures including cancer treatment. In
plasma, there are many sugars, so it can help burning victims and infants who
are very sick. Mrs. Teuscher stated, “The students who donate blood are true
heroes. Their act of generosity will potentially save up to 3 lives.”
In conclusion, many DRSS students have literally saved a
life. For instance, Starr, a senior, donated blood on the day of the blood
drive. She stated, “It just feels good mentally that someone could use my blood.
I feel like it will do more good.” Another student who donated their blood was
Keshawn, the president of Key Club (the club that runs the blood drive),
stated, “I am happy I gave blood because it is helping other people and I enjoy
giving blood. I hope my blood goes to someone that really needs it.”
When both
students were asked if they would do it again, they both said yes. Starr added,
“I think that if you are debating whether or not to give blood, you should do
it.” Overall, the blood drive was a huge success. In addition, Mrs. Teuscher stated,
“There is no substitute for blood.
Patients have to have it to live. Blood comes from blood donors. Each
donation has the potential to save three lives. When you donate blood, you are
saving lives here in your community. It does not get any bigger than this.”
