Students have given back to the Tampa Bay area by donating blood at our school’s blood drive. Three trucks came to take this medical supply from willing pupils, hosted by the senior committee.

“I’ve never donated blood before, and it made me really woozy,” sophomore Natalie Ulm said. “It’s very comfortable, and it really only hurts when they stab you, it’s like riding a plane, and when you lose blood it’s like going higher and higher up on the plane, closer to the sun.”

Volunteers had to fill out a questionnaire to ensure they haven’t taken any recent medications or have any diseases or sicknesses like HIV.

“I’ve always donated blood, every time the trucks come to Plant,” senior Emily Pierce said. “It helps people and stuff, when people get transfusions, and I know I’m saving lives, they have to check your iron [levels] and stuff, and I don’t like how your arm goes numb and you get super cold, but it’s worth it.”

When placed on the bus, volunteers lay on a cushioned bed (like a dentist’s chair) and are given sugary snacks and food to stay alert and healthy.

“Each person who donates blood can save 3 lives,” accountant Tracy Johnson said. “I’m grateful for our students support for the greater good of the sick and ill.”

Johnson said that hospitals need over 800 pints of blood a day, which is about one-third of the student population.

“My dad had leukemia, so I made sure to donate as often as I can,” freshman Dominic Canonico said. “Without the help from donors around the state, my dad probably wouldn’t have made it, so I’m trying to help whoever I can.”

Blood cannot be duplicated or replaced without donors, so the supply is filled purely by the generosity of people with healthy pumps. Patients in hospitals may be able to live another day with the blood from high school students.