Jessica Pellegrino – General Assignment Reporter
Southern sorority Delta Phi Epsilon sponsored an American Red Cross blood drive on Sept. 15 and 16, 2014 in the Adanti Student Center ballroom. The sorority sponsors two to three of these blood drives per semester. The American Red Cross offers donors incentives for each time they donate. This month, every donor received a coupon for a free haircut.
Alyssa Perez, 20, successfully donated blood at the blood drive. Perez believes that donating blood isn’t as scary as some people think it is.
“I had a really easy experience today.” said Perez. “The worst part is the little pinch when they put in the needle. But honestly, you don’t even need to see blood if you don’t want to. You can look away.”
Perez thinks that the positives of donating blood far outweigh the negatives. She said, “I’m going to donate as often as I can, I’m working towards the gallon pin. The best part is all of the free snacks you get when you finish and I guess saving three lives isn’t awful either.”
After your first time donating blood, you receive a donor card to track how much blood you have donated. After you donate
a gallon of blood, the American Red Cross sends you a pin or recognition.
For some, giving blood for the first time can be very intimidating but with just a few tips, first time donors can have a very easy and fulfilling experience.
Courtney Sheeto, a Southern nursing student shares her advice with future donors. Sheeto said, “Just doing a few simple things can make it easier for the donor. Firstly, drink as much water as you can before you donate blood.” Drinking water before donating is vital because it helps maintain volume while you lose blood. Sheeto also said, “Before your iron test, rub your fingers together to bring the iron in your blood to the surface of your finger tips. Also, never cross your legs when you are giving blood. It will slow down the process.” With these tips, donating blood can be virtually painful for the donor.
The collection of blood in necessary for hospitals and every pint donated helps save three lives. Jackie Plagesse, American Red Cross account manager of recruitment and outreach uses simpler terms to explain why blood donations are so incredibly important. “Every day the 36 hospitals in Connecticut require 600 units of blood.” said Plagesse. “Right now, we can’t manufacture blood so hospitals depend on blood donations. There is just a constant need for blood. Someone requires a blood transfusion every two seconds. Currently, we can only manage to collect around 400 units per day.”
Plagesse stresses the importance of keeping appointments that you make with the Red Cross. “When things go wrong, whether a blood drive gets cancels as a result of weather, or people don’t show up to appointments, the hospitals lose the blood they need. In some cases, surgeries have to be cancelled.” said Plagesse. Blood has to be rationed for emergencies, but pre planned surgeries depend on blood donations.
The sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon will be holding their next blood drive in the month of November. If interested, be on the lookout for flyers and digital advertisements on the boards in the Adanti Student Center.
