Partnered with the Blood Bank of Hawaii, the BYUH Service Center hosted a blood drive from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 in the Aloha Center. With an average of 50 to 75 donors per hour, the drive had the goal of getting at least 500 pints or more in its two-day period of operation.
“Just one pint of blood can save three lives,” shared Thomas Johnson, a junior from Utah majoring in biochemistry.
Johnson, a Service Center employee, was operating the check-in desk for the blood drive. He shared his aspirations to go to medical school after his graduation. However, he does not have a desire to work for a blood bank. Instead, he enjoys working at the blood bank for “the feeling of doing service and saving a life.”
The Service Center and Blood Bank of Hawaii usually host blood drives every eight weeks, according to Johnson, who has worked at the drives before. “The FDA and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) says it’s so a person doesn’t risk having an iron deficiency. Giving a pint of blood can also make someone lightheaded and weak.”
According to research conducted by the Mayo Clinic, an average adult’s body will replace lost fluid within 24 hours. It may take several more weeks for the body to replace the lost blood cells. There are several requirements for blood donation. These include being at least 17 years old and weighing at least 110 pounds.
Mayo Clinic recommended potential donors to not take part in physical activity the day of giving blood, and to avoid eating fatty foods that could make their blood less healthy. Donors had the option to donate their blood straight, or to donate their platelets, red blood cells, and blood plasma separately.
This was the case of Caleb Menendez, a junior from Illinois majoring in information services. Menendez shared how he has donated blood eight times in his life. Being O positive, Menendez’s blood is the most common type of blood in the world, according to livescience.com, and the blood bank said it is essential to have as much of O positive on standby.
According to bloodconnection.org, more than 120,000 units of blood, platelets and plasma are needed to meet the needs of patients across America. Only one in three people have type O positive blood.
As to why he chose to donate blood, Menendez said, “For me, it’s an easy and quick act of service. It’s really only a pint of blood. My body can always make more. But there are so many people out there who need blood, something we take for granted. There is nothing super heroic about giving blood, it’s just what anyone should do, kind of like the Good Samaritan.”
However, some factors got in the way of one student who wanted to give blood. Joana Chibota, a freshman from Zimbabwe studying biomedical sciences, was not allowed to donate her blood. “Because I had lived in Zimbabwe before,” she explained, “I could not donate since Zimbabwe is at high risk of malaria and yellow fever. Although I haven’t been there for a few years, they don’t want to risk anything, which is understandable.”
The Blood Bank of Hawaii representative at the drive gave each donor a small physical to check blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. According to their website, stricter evaluation has made blood donation in the United States safer than ever before. At the end of the treatment, each donor received a can of juice and a candy bar and were encouraged to rest for the next 24 hours.
Writer: Elijah Hadley