Every year, more than 1,000,000 people are diagnosed with cancer. Along with all the other medical expenses that come along with treatment, an extremely important resource to ensure the health of many patients around America is through blood transfusions. A recent article by the Cedars Sinai Medical Institute estimated that a whopping 20% of blood donations come from none other than high school and college students.

Hawthorne High School recently held their yearly blood drive, which has been run at 100% capacity for over 2 years. Appointment sheets were found in the HHS main office and handed in there as well.

The requirements for applicants was that they were over the age of 16 and weighed over 105 lbs. Donors were taken out of one class on March 1 and provided with ample snacks.

Medical Professionals advised that for any donor to drink ample water and avoid alcohol and drugs the day before their scheduled donation as well as to eat a large breakfast the day of.

In terms of the impact of this event, one blood donation is surprisingly impactful. From another article from The Cedars Sinai Medical Institute, they stated that one blood donation can save up to 3 people’s lives, as each donation can be separated into 3 different substances: Red Blood Cells, Plasmas, and Platelets, which are small cells that bind together to form blood clots.

Although the amount of lives that can be saved from one donation is high, the demand is only higher.

It is estimated that over 38,000 blood donations per day are required to meet demands at hospitals. And with only about 2% of all those eligible to donate actually giving blood, every blood drive counts.

Hawthorne High School blood drive strives to make a difference, one pint at a time.