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Parkway North Meets Donation Goal During Annual Blood Drive

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Senior Mariya Vasileva gives blood for the first time. “I would definitely give blood again, however it might be awhile before I go back because I didn’t expect to give so much!” said Vasileva
Senior Mariya Vasileva gives blood for the first time. “I would definitely give blood again, however it might be awhile before I go back because I didn’t expect to give so much!” said Vasileva

On Oct. 31, the North High community volunteered to donate blood to Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. Much like vampires on Halloween, workers arrived to draw blood from voluntary victims, not for their own gain, but for the health and wellness of patients in need of healthy blood.

“I wanted to give blood because I wanted to get over [my] fear of needles, and I also wanted to help potentially save a life,” said senior Mariya Vasileva.

Saving a life is a big motivator for those giving blood. Especially with recent tragedies such as the New York City terror attack and the Las Vegas shooting, donating blood can really help those in need of blood transfusions or other reasons.

“I’d love to give blood again,” said senior John Bao. “Getting to miss some class and having snacks is pretty neat, but giving blood is a really easy way to help people out and I think it’s something everyone should do if they are able to.”

In order to be eligible to donate blood, the volunteer must be 17 years-old, or 16 years-old accommodated by the consent of a parent or legal guardian, weigh at least 110 pounds, not have given blood in the past eight weeks, and be in good health.

Members of the National Honor Society worked in coordination with the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center to help make this Fall’s blood drive a success.

“One of the main reasons why I wanted to be a board member for NHS was because I wanted to help out with the blood drives. When I volunteered at the blood drive last year and saw all the efforts being put into it, I knew that I wanted to manage it my senior year. It’s also really nice because I want to go into medicine, so this was a great experience for me to have,” said senior Sohana Pai, student manager of the blood drive.

In the Fall of 2016, the drive raised 75 units of blood. This year, that number was matched.

“The goal this year was to have 74 units of blood donated, and we did reach the goal by having 75 units donated to Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. Since each unit can help multiple people, we were told that the amount of blood donated could help save 200 lives alone,” said Pai.

Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is the exclusive provider of blood products and services to 86 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. MVRBC handles and distributes more than 250,000 units of blood to those in need each year.

by Sagar Samuel, Profile Profecetionist