A blood drive was held for students from the age 17 and up to help those in need of blood transfusions in the small gym on April, 13 2018.
Senior David Argueta decided to donate blood at the blood drive because he wanted to save someone just like someone else did by donating blood to one of his family members when they were in a bad shape.

“I wanted to feel good about the fact that I was able to save someone’s life by donating some of my blood,” Argueta said.Every two seconds someone in the U.S is in need of blood and approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. Donations usually go to trauma patients and people that are undergoing surgery, according to the  American Red Cross.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.69 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment. The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.

Donating blood is a safe process. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and then discarded. Blood donation is a simple five-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshment.

“I was quite nervous because I am not a big fan of needles, but it was for a good cause so it was worth it,” Argueta said.

The average adult has about ten pints of blood in their body. Roughly one pint is given during a donation. A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days. A single donation can potentially help more than one patient, as listed in Community Blood Center said.

According to Community Blood Center, the actual blood donation typically takes less than ten to tweleve minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

Sophomore Juliana Camarillo also donated blood.

“I wanted to feel good about the fact that I was able to save someone’s life by donating blood,” Camarillo said.