Students who were 17 years of age were able to donate blood. Photo by: Mary A.
On October 30th, St. Joseph's Catholic High School held their first blood drive of the school year. Over 100 students participated in the event contributing to the Canadian Blood Services blood bank.
According to Canadian Blood Services, only 4% of eligible citizens actually donate. "I found it alarming and sad that so few Canadians donated. It’s been awhile since I donated and it's something I like to do when I can," said Mr. Hind, a Religion teacher at St. Joe’s.
St. Joseph's donated 71 units of blood, surpassing its goal of 64 units. Maya T., a grade twelve student and head of the Blood Drive Committee, was very happy with how the day went. "The process was very easy and everyone was very friendly. [Donating] just makes you feel good about yourself and it's not something you should be scared of."
Students gather around the snack table after their donations. Photo by: Mary A.
The donation process begins by signing in and answering a short questionnaire. At this time, you are strongly encouraged to have a snack and a drink. Next, the nurse will give you a slip for your allotted time and you will proceed to the waiting area. Once you've been called up they will sit you down at one of the stations and will start drawing blood. Throughout the time that you are donating, there is constantly a nurse nearby to keep you company and comfortable.
During this blood drive, St. Joseph’s had 66 new donors and 11 returning donors. According to a representative at Candadian Blood Services, all of the blood received from the blood drive has already been transported to hospitals to help those in need.
Thank you to everyone who donated and helped to organise this event! Be sure to keep an eye out for our next blood drive that will take place in February 2020.