Rosa Repke

Editorial & Opinions Editor
On Mar. 11, more than a few Orono students got to be a part of something great; the Red Cross blood drive.  The scene wasn’t gory nor serious, in fact the mezz was buzzing with conversation and had a great vibe. Employees were hand crafting unique bandages with flowers and suns fashioned out of multi-colored tape and there was an excellent supply of free snacks, like juice and other treats for donors to refuel on. The easy four-step donation process (registration, medical history, donation and refreshments) made sure no one was turned away and that everyone was comfortable.
First, students were asked to formally register, then were brought to the booth where a trained employee asked about their health history. After waiting, students were then sent to a cot where they were met by another employee. Sometimes the realization of what is coming next is stressful for some students and a small feeling of uneasiness crept up. However, the employees  at the event were both understanding and gentle. “I was terrified going into it because it was my first time, “ senior Lexi Knutson admitted. “[But] the nurses were fantastic at calming my nerves.”
In a few occasions, some students did wind up feeling on the verge of fainting, but the organization and smoothness of the system made sure that those who started feeling faint received the attention they needed right away. “As soon as I started feeling faint they laid me down, got me an ice pack, got me a juice and put my feet up,” said senior Ryan Baier.
The donation, in total, consists of one pint of blood and several small test tubes. The smaller tests tubes are used for both bacterial and viral testing. All donations are sent to one of the five Red Cross National Testing Laboratories where all results are collected within 24hrs. If any donation turns up positive for any of the tests, the donation is discarded and the donor is notified (students received a paper with the identical bar code as their donation). Each pint of blood can potentially save up to three lives, therefore every precaution needs to be taken to ensure the safety of the recipients.
One of the safety measures includes a rule that students who have recently visited another country are not allowed to donate, to make sure foreign born diseases don’t enter the system of recipients. Unfortunately that meant some students were unable to participate. “I had spent time in the Dominican Republic, but I would have loved to do it!” senior Alyssa Overturf explained.
Despite the awesomeness of free snacks and missing a class….or two and the stylish “savior’s bandage” at the end,  the positivity of the event’s true meaning was not lost on anyone. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. will need  blood, boiling down to 38,000 blood donations needed per day to keep up with the demand, so for the day, students were truly heroes.