Herriman High School hosts a blood drive every quarter, seeking to not only introduce students to the donation process but to help save the lives of hundreds of people in our local hospitals, with one blood donation able to save the lives of three people. Herriman is especially pushing this goal this year because of the “severe blood shortage” in January.
Herriman PLT and HOSA teamed up to run this most recent blood drive, and the additional help allowed them to push advertising more than ever. Alex Barber, a member of student leadership, said, “we put so much work and preparation into it and posting on social media really seemed to help make it more successful than the past.” This success came in the form of this blood drive being the biggest in Herriman history. They are hoping to beat their current record in the next blood drive coming up later this year.
So what exactly does blood donation look like?
In the few weeks before the blood drive, posters will go up around the school with QR codes that you can scan to make an appointment for yourself and any friends or family that are willing to join. You will receive multiple emails after they sign up and before the drive reminding them of their appointment, including one the morning of with a link to an Xpress pass. This leads you to a survey that they have to take the day of the drive to make sure that they are eligible to donate blood, with questions about recent medicines and travel as well as information about the process itself. This takes 10-20 minutes to fill out, and students are encouraged to do so before their appointment time in order to make the process go as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Upon arriving at the tech atrium, where the blood drive is normally hosted, you will check in with your ID and a signed parent permission form and receive whatever gift cards were promised on the posters and be entered into the raffle for that drive. After this, you will be asked to fill out the survey if you haven’t yet and to sit and wait for a nurse to become available. Once one is, they will take you back to their station and ask you about any red flags on their survey. As long as you pass, they will measure things like your blood pressure and iron levels and alert you to anything concerning. If, for example, your blood iron levels are low, they’ll give you a coupon for iron supplements. You will also be informed of your blood type if you didn’t already know and this is your second donation or after. In this way, the blood drive helps you as well as the people that receive your donation.
As long as all of this checks out, which it usually does, the nurse will take you over to one of the cushioned and reclined donation chairs. Another nurse, who has been working with ARUP for a while, will then confirm your information and walk you through the steps of officially starting your donation. After you’ve started, you’ll be given a blood drop plush to squeeze throughout the session to keep your blood flowing. The nurses here are very kind, and happy to have a conversation or to let you scroll on your phone throughout the donation.
After you’re done, they wrap your arm in a brightly colored bandage that you are encouraged to keep on for a few hours at least. Then, they will lead you over to the mat at the side of the room and you are encouraged to eat any of the many snacks around it that you want while you wait for at least 10 minutes to make sure that you are healthy and able to go. If you experience any ill side effects, like dizziness or nausea, you are welcome to tell the nurses and they will make sure that you are taken care of.
A few weeks later, you often receive a call saying that your blood was used to save someone’s life, which is one of the best feelings ever.
Hopefully this made you feel better about the blood donation process. When the next drive comes up, make sure to sign up to donate!
