When people end up in the hospital, they might require blood, but not many hospitals may have blood on stand by. Those with a desire to help others inn need my participate in activities such as blood drives! 

Every year, Roosevelt High School holds the annual Red Cross Blood Drive, which allows students to donate their blood. Students 16 and below were required to provide a parent permission slip, while students 17 and up, were only required to give their consent.

 The Roosevelt Review had the opportunity to interview Pat Ybarra, a volunteer at the blood drive, and inquire about the blood drive process.

“The blood will be tested then go to people with cancer, newborns, and surgery. Usually we take about 16.9 ounces. Low levels of iron will not be used, only on point or better.” He states.

When asked why blood drive corporations prefer student donations, he also had this to say: “We want young people, because they don’t take as much medication as someone much older. We’d like people do donate young, then when they get older they get older they’ll want to donate more, especially with family members.”

Ali Naqvi, a Junior here at Roosevelt, spoke about his recent experience in donating blood. Check out what he had to say:

“Well it was my first time donating blood so I didn’t know what to expect, but I had faith in the Red Cross so I wasn’t worried and by the time I was done, I felt perfectly fine. I had no idea how painful the process would be so that made me a bit nervous.”

When questioned about his opinion regarding The Red Cross & Blood Drives in general, he states,  “Well the  Red Cross exists  to save lives so I got to help them in their mission. It feels great knowing I got to help people in need.”

If you have family members or friends interested in donating, or just want to help out yourself, be apart of this amazing cause and donate at your local Red Cross agency today!