At Milford High School on Wednesday, May 23, students and teachers lined up in the small gym for the Blood Drive. Students aged 16 and over are eligible to give one pint of much-needed blood that could save three lives. American Red Cross sponsors the Blood Drive, but it was run by Leadership. This Drive was also an opportunity for two seniors to receive a scholarship. Lexie McCleland and Tyler Brock headed the Drive, and they are the seniors receiving the scholarship. If you are 16, you must have parental consent before you donate. If you are 17, you do not need parental consent and you can sign yourself up!

Once you arrive to the small gym, you must first check in with the blood drive computers and grab a banana to eat and a water bottle. It is a really good idea to eat foods with iron in it, because when you give blood, much of the iron in your blood is taken as well, and that can cause anemia, which can cause fainting. Being well hydrated also helps you to have a successful donation by thinning your blood.

For Jenny Schnackor, a junior, this year is the second year that she has signed up to give blood. Last year, unfortunately, she did not have enough iron in her blood, so they turned her away. Schnackor really wanted to give blood this year, so she ate a lot of raisins beforehand. “I ate so many raisins, I actually have a stomachache.” Raisins have a considerable source of iron, so it was a good choice of food to eat.

After you grab your snack, you head over to the line of chairs to wait for the examination. There, the nurses determine whether you are fit to give blood. You have to be at least 110 pounds to donate. There is also a certain height-to-weight ratio where if they don’t correlate, you can’t give blood. The nurses at the examination will tell you if you can donate or not.

Next, once you have checked in and the nurses say you are fit to give blood, you may move on to the blood stations, where you lay down and let them take blood. This takes anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour, depending on how quickly your blood flows. Every person is going to have a different time.

Once you are done giving blood, you sit at a table where there are all kinds of snacks. Some people come from giving blood and feel feint and look pale, while others have no problem. Eating keeps up your strength.

If you are feeling fine enough, you are then sent back to class with a cool bandage around your arm and a stylish sticker that says, “Don’t me mean to me, I gave blood today!” The entire process may only take a half hour, or it may take much longer.

Some people are too scared to donate, and that is perfectly fine. It is your choice to make, and nobody should pressure you into something you don’t want to do. Think about giving blood, and decide for yourself if giving blood is the right thing for you to do.

This year, very few people have passed out after they gave blood. After this happens, a nurse will come over and help you out. If a person feels like they are going to feint, there is a set of hospital beds for him or her to rest.

Junior Michelle Brennan donated blood this year, and she says that this is her first time doing it. Brennan says that the donation was fine, but afterwards she was kind of dizzy. Her donation process only took around 10 to 15 minutes. Brennan had to sit down in a bed to keep from passing out afterwards. At the table of drinks and snacks, Brennan was tearing up. “It makes you very emotional. I don’t even know why I’m crying right now.”

Meghan Wright, a junior, complains of having a headache right after donation. As soon as she sits down at the snack table, she start’s eating. Wright tells us that the needle isn’t the bad part. In fact, it’s the finger prick in the examination that hurts the worst. “If you have ever gotten hit with an airsoft gun, then you can give blood.”

Brennan agrees with Wright that the finger prick was the worst part. The needle to take blood didn’t hurt at all. They both say that they hate the clicking noise it makes when the nurses prick you. So if you’re afraid of the big needle, don’t be.

If you are interested in giving blood or learning more about donating, please go to www.redcross.org.