The day was September 21. The Magnet community was buzzing with excitement, and there was an air anticipation hanging around. The reason? It’s Blood Drive Day!! This was our first experience donating blood, and Inés and I were extremely excited. First things first, lets go over some reasons why you should donate blood.

1. Obviously, it helps a lot of people! One pint of blood can save up to two lives. About one in seven people entering the hospital need blood, so there is a constant demand for it. You will know you’re helping a good cause 🙂

2. Giving 1 pint of blood burns about 650 calories! Definitely would be one of my favorite and easiest workouts that I’ve done.

3. You get snacks. GOOD snacks, the same vibe as when your mom picked you up from school on your birthday and got you a little after school treat. We got juice boxes and gummies and cookies AND they gave me a T shirt!

4. You can pretend you’re in Twilight. Enough said.

Before donating, we consulted our fellow Magnet students for some blood drive advice. Blood drive veteran Bowen Enright offered some tips, advising students that “watching the needle go in made it hurt more.” Bowen is a pretty trustworthy source, considering he has donated three times during his time at Magnet. Mabry Wise was also a blood drive newbie, and she said that “I’m glad I’m helping others.” Knowing you’re helping cancer patients and other people in need is definitely a rewarding thought. If you missed your chance to donate this time, don’t worry! Taryn Crowley, who organized the blood drive, told us to “stay tuned for the next blood drive” which is at the end of January. 

Now, for our actual experiences. When we walked into the gym lobby, we were greeted by the smiling faces of dear Charity Council Chair Taryn Crowley and her assistant Maggie Garrigan. After drinking our complimentary juice boxes, we signed in using our forms of ID. I had my drivers license, and Inés filled out a demographic sheet. (Note: if you don’t remember your ID, you can get a demo sheet from Mrs Dover which counts as a form of ID! Super helpful.) After filling out a short questionnaire confirming that we have not slept with anyone for money recently, we had our iron and blood pressure checked. Then it was time for the actual donation. I will not lie, I was a little nervous for this part. The nice Red Cross nurse put the needle in, which was a little painful, but then after that it was smooth sailing. I laid back, texted Inés, perused my Instagram feed, and thought about how happy I was that I was missing English class! (no offense Mrs. Bortz, but I just wasn’t feeling the whole college essay thing that day.) After I was done, they took the needle out and supplied me with some more delicious snacks. I will admit, I felt a little woozy, but nothing another juice box couldn’t fix! All in all, the donation process was very easy. Even if you are squeamish or nervous to donate blood, I encourage you to try it because it isn’t as scary as you would think! 

P.S. I did not watch them put the needle in my arm, because I was a little bit of a wimp.

P.S. (from Inés) I tried to watch them put the needle in but the nurse intensely told me to look away so I just took a peek.