On 8/28/24, Graham High School held its first blood drive of the year. It was extremely successful, surpassing the goal of 70 units of blood, and collecting 93. Many generous donors patiently queued for their time to donate. When it was their time to shine, they powered through, despite how frightening giving blood may be. Once finished, they were greeted with snacks, Gatorade, and gracious thanks galore. They did something from the goodness of their hearts, and were rewarded with such appreciation. I spoke with some of the general public who were donating, and one stuck out to me. One woman, Jennifer, was donating because her husband had previously had cancer, and she wanted to give back to the community. She felt like donating was something she had to do. However, others may have been donating with a different purpose. After speaking with some seniors, I learned that a few were donating simply for the graduation cord. After speaking with some individuals, I learned that this is a common occurrence among seniors, and not to be taken too seriously. Regardless of the reason for donating, a generous act is still being committed. Blood is still being drawn. Lives are still being saved.
The act of giving blood itself is a mystifying topic. What is the process? What does it feel like? Many students had something to say about the subject. I spoke with one student, Kambrey Moore, who had never given blood before, and found it to be scary. “Do you think it hurts?” I asked. “A little bit, but not much.” she replied. Another student, Veyounka Aranda, claimed that it wasn’t the pain that was the worst, but the feelings. “What is your least favorite part about donating?” I asked. “Probably the emotions leading up to it.” Veyounka responded. Despite students’ fear of donating, most, if not all, did end up going through with the generous act. This directly resulted in the success of Graham High School’s first blood drive.
