Seton Hill University (SHU) students bravely lined up to donate blood. Each donor potentially saves three lives. On Sept. 2, the Central Blood Bank (CBB), followed by the Red Cross on the 13, visited McKenna Center.
As a remembrance of 9/11 for every blood donation of an RH-negative blood type (A-, O-, B-, AB-) a $15 donation was made to the Flight 93 Memorial Fund by the CBB.
“Giving blood is a great opportunity to know you helped someone,” said Robert Sadler, regional manager of the CBB. According to the CBB, one out of every three people will need a blood transfusion over the course of their lifetime. “I myself was a blood recipient and needed four units (20,000 ml) of blood.”
“There are so many people [who] can save a life by giving blood,” said Nancy Louck, a local volunteer for the Red Cross. “It is a shame that only about 5 percent of people give despite so many being eligible.”
According to the Red Cross, the majority of long giving donors are people who began in high school or college making these sites important starting points.
“I don’t like needles,” said Carlos Peredo, a senior at SHU. “But I felt that it would help me better the community. Plus, they gave me a free blanket.”
Donors cannot receive payment for any donation of blood because of security and safety reasons. “If we offered payment for blood donations people may begin to falsify their health information just to get paid,” said Sadler.
Giving blood is a simple and safe procedure. Each donor is asked a series of safety question for the protection of the giver and receiver. Then all donated blood is sent to a lab for processing before it is sent to hospitals in need.
All blood donated locally is first distributed to local areas in need before it is sent out to other hospitals and establishments in need nationally.
SIDEBAR:
Students interested in giving blood can:
Contact the CBB at www.centralbloodbank.org to make an appointment at nearest blood bank.
Contact the Red Cross at www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733 2767.
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