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Donations can save a life. Pictures by: Emily Farley.
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Donations can save a life Pictures by: Emily Farley
Donating blood to the American Red Cross has always been an important part of Greenwood High. Any student willing to donate over age 16 was allowed to participate in this event. Flyers were laid out all over the hallways to notify students about when it would take place. The blood drive was held in the auditorium on Tuesday, October 26th. Beginning at 8 am the drive lasted up until school closed.
The set up for the blood drive looked like a mini hospital with 6 to 8 different stations for students to go. When you first walk in I remember waiting for a bed to open. At each station there was a bed with a nurse who was preparing you for the donation. Here she checks blood pressure and all the basic checkups to make sure you are eligible. Being at school around others you knew didn’t make the room feel scary.
I had the chance to follow my friend Katelyn through the whole process. Let’s just say she was so scared! She has this very big fear of needles and doesn’t like blood. I had to hear about it all morning. Waiting in line I think was the worst part.
That morning we went to sign up for her appointment time. Katelyn was scheduled for 10:30. As the time crept closer and closer we were both getting nervous. Finally it was time to go. We sure weren’t prepared for what was coming.
Now we were in. Katelyn first went through the questioning then to the bench. Here they checked all her signs and was go to go. First they put this iodine stuff on to clean your arm. Now for the scary part, she put the needle in. I don’t think my hand will feel the same ever again from her squeezing it.
The process for giving blood usually takes 15 to 30 minutes. While we sat there we just talked and laughed trying to pass the time. She drank orange juice to keep her from getting dizzy. Before we noticed it was over. Good thing was she didn’t get dizzy or faint.
After she was all done she went to the snack table. They give you these so you can get energy back into your system. We sat around the table and talked until they let us go. They had juice and cookies mainly for sugar. Everyone ate and went back to class.
In the end it was a very successful experience. Katelyn made it through the whole thing. While we were walking back to class she stopped. She wanted to thank me for convincing her to do this. It was a good thing to do for others. She also was like that really didn’t hurt like she thought it would.
To me the best part was seeing the nurse’s faces. They came to give students the opportunity to help others and it was a great turn out. Seeing how many wanted to help I know was very important to them. This picture with their faces says it all. They were so nice to us so it was comfortable the whole time.
Every student who donated received a t-shirt and a sticker. The sticker read on it, “I saved a life.” Just by donating that one time can save someone in serious need of help. I want to give a big thanks to all the students who made this possible. Also maybe by seeing this you will want to save life and donate too!
