University of New Hampshire Blood Drive
The University of New Hampshire’s (UNH), American Red Cross Club hosted their second blood drive for the fall semester. Starting Dec. 3 and ending Dec. 6, the American Red Cross came to the Memorial Union Building’s Granite State room from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; on these four days faculty and students could come and donate to the blood drive.
The process is simple. Two students from the university said it took them about an hour of their time. It begins with registration; participants are encouraged to register online to speed up the process the day they go in to donate. The Red Cross asks participants for identification such as a driver’s license and a home address. In the first step they go over basic eligibility for donors and then ask for participant health history. The workers will check blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and hemoglobin levels. Next, once everything is cleared, participants begin the donation process. After, they are asked to stay for refreshments and snacks to make sure they are stable. The Red Cross website lays out the full process for donors and encourages people to give blood!
Nicholas Demers, a freshman, physics major donated blood at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Following regulation rules, Demers tries to donate blood every eight weeks, making this his fifth donation. He describes his experience as quick, easy and painless. He believes if you’re able to donate you should go out and do it.
“I drag my friends to a bunch of different blood drives; all the ones I’ve gone to, I’ve tried to bring someone with me. It’s fun to donate with other people and obviously it’s good to donate blood,” Demers said.
Gwynevere Norris, a sophomore, linguistics and international affairs major, donated blood at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday. She donated blood after being bombarded with texts, but also because it is the season of giving and she views this as an important cause. The universities blood drive was her third donation to the Red Cross. She emphasizes the importance.
“Absolutely, people should go out and donate blood! Stay hydrated,” Norris says, “that makes the actual donation go a lot faster.”
Adriana Radosavljevic, a sophomore, biochemistry, molecular, and cellular biology major, is the president of UNH’s Red Cross club. She explains her role as president; Radosavljevic is the intermediary between the Red Cross and UNH club members. Their group coordinates blood drives, educating the community on safety, installing fire alarms, supporting the armed forces and fundraising for the American Red Cross. Radosavljevic encourages students to donate, she says;
“Becoming a donor can be very rewarding. Each donation has the potential to save up to three lives. Through the Red Cross "Blood Donor" app, donors can track their donation through processing, testing, storage, and even its use in a medical facility."
Brittnee Wirth, a senior, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology major, is the blood services coordinator for the Red Cross club on campus. Her job specifically includes organizing the blood drive, marketing the event and getting volunteers from their group to help in the process. Wirth says paid staff from the American Red Cross run most of the drive itself; however, the volunteers from the organization are there to help make appointments, check people in and sit with first time donors as “donor buddies”, if they’d like!
“Bring a friend," Wirth said. "A lot of first-time donors don't know that they can have a friend sit with them throughout the whole process; except for when the donor is answering personal health questions. Also, and this one's especially for the ladies, make sure you get enough iron in the days leading up to the donation, and then eat a big meal the morning of the donation. Some people don't respond well during their first donation, and it's usually because they haven't had enough to eat or drink before the donation. This, unfortunately, puts them off donating forever, but it doesn't have to happen every time!”
With the universities blood drive ending, people who didn’t get a chance to donate didn’t miss their only opportunity. By visiting the American Red Cross’s website (https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-donation-process/donation-process-overview.html) and clicking on the “Donate Blood” tab, those interested are prompted to enter your zip code and find a donation location near them!
