Imagine this: you’re sitting comfortably in your chair while donating blood, feeling accomplished because you’re almost done, and you start to feel a little bit dizzy. In a couple of seconds, you’re fine, and in a couple of minutes, you’re stuffing your face with Oreos and apple juice. 

If you imagined that scenario successfully, then you’ve conjured up a pretty clear image of the events of the annual Walt Whitman Fall Blood Drive. “It was a very hectic day,” says Ariel Neirs, Senior and blood drive captain, when asked about her first-hand experience helping run the drive. 

The day began bright and early on November 4th, first period, with the initial stress of having to deliver all the hundreds of passes to students to ensure that they come down at the right time. Angelena Nguyen, another Senior and blood drive captain explained the formality of the distribution process. She said, “We needed to make sure each student was personally handed their pass, so if they weren’t in class, we had to keep running back and forth searching for them.”

Overall, it’s hard to deny the stressfulness of the day, especially for the captains and teachers in charge of organizing it, but what’s important is that every blood drive is a success. This year, Walt Whitman students and faculty donated 112 pints of blood. One pint of blood saves three people, so in total, beyond the wild haze of botched bagel orders, fainting kids, and cranberry juice, the blood drive saved 336 lives.

As the number two high school on Long Island for blood donations, the blood drives we have run and will continue to run are making great contributions to help end the global blood shortage. So, even though the blood drives are always a bit chaotic, they are a crucial event, and it’s key to keep in mind how many people can benefit from them. 

If you missed this blood drive, don’t worry, there’s another one in the spring! And personally, I’ll be donating again, even though I might have to relive that first scenario.