MCC students give blood, save lives
MCC hosted its second most successful blood drive in six years according to the United Blood Services. Thirty-three blood donations were given by students Aug. 30, lessening the critical need for blood by Valley hospitals.
UBS bring their facilities directly to Arizona’s high schools, universities and community colleges, since high school and college students are the largest blood donor group in the United States. “MCC is definitely doing their part,” said Sue Thew, spokesperson for UBS.
Thew said that UBS supplies all Mesa hospitals with blood, but she is concerned that the average Arizonan only donates blood once a year. “It seems like we’re always needing more donors,” she said.
700 people a day need to donate blood to meet the needs of trauma centers in Valley hospitals, says the UBS.
According to bloodsaves.com, an ad campaign created by the American Association of Blood Banks and the American Red Cross, 38,000 pints of blood are needed every day in the U.S.
“The need is great. There is substantial blood loss during surgery,” said Colleen Jabkowski, Medical Technologist for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.
St. Joseph’s treats 11 trauma patients a day, while Scottsdale Healthcare’s trauma unit treats an average of 200 patients a month. Many of those trauma patients sustain serious injuries in car accidents.
“(Donating blood) is a lifesaving process, it’s very unselfish,” said Keith Jones, spokesman for Scottsdale Healthcare. “One person donating can actually help several different people. So every donation certainly counts.”
UBS has made donating blood more attractive for busy college students by coming directly to campuses and entering donors into contests for prizes, including new sportscars.
But some MCC students have more personal reasons for donating blood.
Elida Garcia, MCC student, said her mother’s life was saved after a blood transfusion following surgery. “It’s important to give to people that are really in need,” she said.“My family’s all in healthcare, so I’ve seen these people that receive the blood,” said Steven Schoo, a MCC student who donated blood Aug. 30. “I know how much it helps.”
Donated blood helps cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, burn victims and people with blood disorders. The three major components of blood – red cells, platelets and plasma – all have different functions in the body. After a blood donation, those components can be separated and used in transfusions for people with specific needs.
Those needs become greater after harsh treatments like chemotherapy, when it becomes harder for the body to produce red blood cells. The result is fatigue.
“Transfusions of healthy red blood cells can help people recover from extreme tiredness and increase the level of their physical endurance,” said Nancy Anderson, Director of the Oncology unit at John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital. “Without the generous donations of blood…our patients would face much more difficult and lengthy recoveries.”Nearly half of all the donated blood in Arizona comes from the UBS vans that travel throughout the Valley. The vans park on college campuses, allowing students to donate about a pint of blood in less than an hour. After paperwork, a private interview and a physical, the donor steps aboard the van and begins the process of donating blood.
MCC student Levi Chestnutwood intends to donate blood on a regular basis. “It feels good to give,” he said. “This is my way of giving back.”
UBS returns to MCC Sep. 26 and Dec. 4.
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Volume
44, Issue 2. Today is
David Berrey/Mesa Legend
Alika Cullen waits in the UBS van at MCC to have her blood drawn. Cullen and other donors are briefly interviewed about their current health conditions. Techinicians also check donor’s temperature, blood pressure, pulse and blood iron level.