On Thursday, November 30th, MediClub collaborated with the American Red Cross to collect a whopping 42 pints of blood in Gold House for the Whitney Young Blood Drive. The student medical club and non-profit humanitarian organization organized the initiative in response to recent blood shortages. Across 61 applicants, 42 successfully completed, 2 were unable to complete and 17 were ineligible. “It really sucks that I was too underweight to donate this time,” Kaylen Ng said, “I hope I can be eligible next time.”

There is always a need for blood—in fact the America’s Blood Centers report that a blood transfusion occurs in the US every 2 seconds. The blood donation type in this blood drive was “whole blood,” withdrawing all contents of the blood including red cells, plasma, and platelets without reinfusion of any blood components. Whole blood donations are typically used in treatments for cancer, blood disorders like sickle cell disease, and even surgeries. The blood drive made a small but meaningful step in fulfilling the over 38,000 blood donations that are needed each day.
The entire donation process lasts roughly an hour—around 30 minutes to go over health history and a mini physical, 10 minutes for drawing blood, and 15 minutes to enjoy snacks and refreshments. The side effects of this process varied, with some of the donors reporting little to no effect and some reporting lightheadedness and dizziness. “I felt exhausted after getting my blood drawn,” Tyson Kenneth, a donor said. To curb these symptoms, the Red Cross recommends drinking lots of water prior to and following the donation. Minor temporary discomfort is a small price to pay when considering the potential to save up to three lives through a single blood donation.

With the success of the blood drive, the Red Cross has requested for MediClub to set up another blood drive. “The next blood drive is probably going to be this spring or next school year.” Ethan Wong, an organizer and MediClub board member said, “I hope to see more people next time.”