Hawthorne High School hosted a Blood Drive on Tuesday, March 21, 2013.  Many students, ages 16 and up, and staff donated their blood to the Community Blood Services and were excited to be helping others.

Many of the donors who donated did it to support others in need of blood, which helped meet the high demand for blood by ill patients. The Community Blood Services states on its website, Communitybloodservices.org, that one of three people need blood, but “nationally, less than 5 percent of the population donates blood. In NJ, less than 3 percent of the population donates.” The Community Blood Services uses the blood in many ways. The website states: “Your blood can be separated into red cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are used to treat patients who are anemic. Plasma can be used to treat patients in shock due to fluid loss as a result of burns. Platelets are used to help treat patients with leukemia.”

Danielle Russo, HHS art teacher and student council advisor, decided to include the blood drive as part of the many HHS annual events. When asked why the school decided to hold the blood drive, Russo said, “It saves lives…[and it’s] important to teach students how to give back.”

A senior at HHS, Tom Bushnauskas, who donated for his second time, said, “It’s a good deed to save lives.” Bushnauskas said without a doubt he would happily donate again. A junior at HHS, David Peralta, who gave blood for the first time, agreed with Bushnauskas sentiment. Peralta said, “[Getting blood drawn] was not bad…people need it…if you were in that situation you would be grateful to have received donated blood.” Although he almost fainted, which is a common side effect to giving blood, he hesitantly said he would do it again. Mackenzie Sanint, senior at HHS, is a frequent donor; she has happily donated for her fourth time.

Whether donating for the first time or once again, all the participants were given a refreshment of  cookies with apple juice, orange juice, or a bottle of water. By taking in a light snack, Livestrong.com explains, “Eating something might also give you a little of your strength back…Providing you with something to drink immediately after you give blood begins to replace the fluid you just lost.” This is particularly helpful for students like Peralta who felt weak after giving blood.

The outcome of this blood drive was a huge success with 94 blood donors from HHS.