Blood is a precious resource – it fights infections, supplies our bodies with essential substances, and perhaps most importantly, it can save lives. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion, according to the Red Cross. For that reason, blood donations are largely sought after, and are typically acquired through blood drives – an organized gathering of said donations. On Nov. 21, the Fremd Student Council hosted its bi-annual blood drive in the South Gym.

In order to participate in the blood drive, students had to be sixteen years or older, and fill out a parental consent form. These students also had to meet the weight and corresponding height requirements, and sign up for the event through links provided on Schoology and/or the blood drive presentation. Teachers were also able to donate blood, and came down during their free periods.

Student Council sponsor Kenneth Goettsche explains the impact of the blood drive.

“Blood drive banks in the area come to schools and get as many students as possible to make donations, and they obviously need as many donations as possible,” Goettsche said. “It’s basically a give-give situation. Students give blood and it’s given back to the area, which is nice because the units of blood that are donated are donated back to local hospitals.”

High school students make up a large percentage of all blood donors – around twenty-five percent, according to the National Institute of Health. By donating their blood, students are giving back to hospitals and emergency centers near Fremd, and are directly helping their community. In a simple ten-minute procedure, up to three human lives can be saved for each blood donation.

Fremd junior Ashwin Mahidhara shares his view on the blood drive.

“I thought it was nice how, since I’m afraid of blood, there wasn’t that much blood involved,” Mahidhara said. “I thought it was overall pretty cool, and was a really great experience.”

Although some students might be scared of blood, the overall procedure doesn’t involve a ton of blood and injections. Typically, there’s an initial prick, in order to make sure the student has healthy blood. If the student has healthy blood, there will be one more injection, where the blood is extracted from the students. 

Goettsche says what he loves seeing in first-time donors.

“I love seeing first-time donors and the excitement on their faces,” Goettsche said. “I think a lot of people think it’s a big scary procedure, and not to say that it’s not, you know, if you don’t like needles it can be scary. But if you can get past that, knowing that their [students] effort helps other people, that’s an amazing thing to see on their faces.”

The blood drive will return in March, as the second of the two hosted blood drives at Fremd. If students missed out on the opportunity recently, they’ll have another chance to volunteer and donate their blood later in the year. Students can expect the March blood drive to be similar to the recent event, with much of the same characteristics. Regardless of the date, donating blood is a special event for all involved, as everyone unites for a common goal – to save the lives of others.