The students each gave a pint of their blood, contributing to the American Red Cross Blood Drive at the CACC on Tuesday. Each student had a different experience.
Supervisor Eric Barnes agrees there are many benefits of donating blood.
“It’s great that they [get to help] millions of cancer patients,” Barnes said. “Being a national organization we can send blood any place in the world where it’s needed.”
The blood students donated today will be sent to St. Louis to be tested. After testing, it will be ready for distribution to hospitals. The majority of the blood will be sent back to Columbia to provide the University Hospital, which is the major trauma center in central Missouri, blood to its patients.
Olivia Zhang, a senior, wore a red bandage across her arm and a sticker on her navy blue uniform that said “I made a difference2” as she sat at the front desk welcoming blood donors.
Zhang is comfortable with the deed of giving blood, having done it four times. She understands that other people might have a different experience than she had.
“I feel fine, I mean, it kind of depends on the person,” Zhang said. “Some people feel fine, some people feel nauseous, and some people might feel dizzy.”
RBHS senior, Micah Fletcher, says that despite anxiety before giving blood it is worth it.
“It’s getting a lot better,” Fletcher said. “I’m not feeling as anxious as I used to.”
The CACC blood drive will continue for the rest of the day.
By Afsah Khan, Jacqueline LeBlanc, and Duha Shebib
