Blood drive allows Mavs to help life-saving efforts

Michael McShane
News Editor

MSU students celebrating Homecoming week Tuesday were able to do so in a very charitable way. 

The Homecoming and FSL Blood Drive hosted by the American Red Cross took place inside the CSU Ballroom Tuesday. The event, which went from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. saw dozens of MSU students lining up to donate blood which was distributed to nearby hospitals in dire need of blood donations. 

The students who went to the event were greeted by the door by volunteers who signed them in and directed them to wait for the next available Red Cross worker. From there, students were taken to get their medical history cleared to make sure they are healthy enough to donate blood. 

While students are all welcomed to come and donate, safety is an absolute priority and every student who came to the blood drive was screened for any health problems that would compromise the blood. 

If any tests did come back positive, the student in question would be informed about the positive test results. The most common false positive during a test is for the babesia parasite which students will be asked to come back to be rechecked. 

“Safety and quality of it is the absolute most important part,” Ian, a Red Cross team supervisor, said. “If I don’t think a unit is safe, I’d rather not give it to anyone, if I think there is even a chance it might not be safe.” 

By 11 a.m. every donor was cleared and able to donate blood. There were some who donated two units of blood at once. The expected number of participants the organizers expected to come away with was 40 donors with an estimated 56 products of blood. 

These donations will be used to help people suffering from illnesses that impact their quality of life such as trauma and diseases. 

“The most important part about donating blood is making sure we can take care of those sick people that need it,” Ian said. 

Students that donated blood were given snacks in the form of a bag of cookies, juice and water. Students that felt light-headed after donating blood were able to lay down on a bed with a fan blowing to relax. 

The Red Cross had eight blood drive events throughout the Mankato area Tuesday. 

One student who donated, Cassidy, donated because she felt like helping out even with her fear of needles, giving a clear example of a maverick doing something good despite their own personal fears.

Header photo by John Shrestha | MSU Reporter.