The world crashed down on me that day at the beach. Vision blurring, body shaking, I lay depleted on a bench, the weight of the world pressing down, refusing to let go. How did a day filled with the crashing of waves, the smell of sand, and the laughter of friends turn so sour? Just moments before, I was submerged in the frigid waters, feeling the invigorating chill of Boreas’s₁ domain with the fogged amber₂ sky out of reach, foreshadowing the darkness that was befalling me. Then, darkness.
I awoke to a friend’s cold hand on my neck, my mother’s panicked face, and a rush to the emergency room. A blood transfusion was needed, and quickly. Had I not received it, the doctor said the outcome could have been fatal. My story isn’t unique; countless others, young and old, have faced similar crises, emphasizing the critical importance of blood donation.
Fortunately, Mentor High School feels the same way. On November 13, the Red Cross Blood Drive took place within the Paradigm, a spacious hall adorned with a patterned carpet of gray hues, splashed with occasional bursts of red. Lying atop the carpet were wooden tables overflowing with food and drinks for the student donors. Moveable stretchers held students, their arms connected to bags steadily filling with blood. Most were unbothered by the tubes as they scrolled through their phones in boredom. Black dividers separated the stretchers, with nurses in red scrubs peeking through, checking temperatures, verifying IDs, and asking questions. Meanwhile, beyond the dividers, nurses in black scrubs pricked students arms and attached the tubed bags, playing a vital role in the drive’s flow.
“There really wasn’t any part that was like crazy,” junior Owen Medved said. “A little prick going in and a little prick pulling out, but besides that, I was just lying there.” His words capture the true simplicity of the process. However, stories of complications occurring tend to make people reluctant to join. “I mean, people are just scared–and there are all these stories about people passing out and throwing up. When it’s not really that complicated,” Medved said.
Understanding the rules also decreases the already low chances of complications arising. For example, the rule about weight is strictly enforced. Nurse Rebecca Scrubs used the analogy of the body being like bottles of water. She said, “So the bottle would be weight, and lets say the liquid in the bottle is the blood. If there’s only half an amount of liquid in the bottle and then we take out half of the half…the bottle is almost empty.” Scrubs added, “Which is something similar to why we ask about weight with donors. To make sure that number one, they have enough blood for us to be able to take our 4-70 milliliters goal. Which is a pint.” Scrubs further explained that the rules are not only there to help you but to make sure there aren’t any complications. The nurses want donors to have good experiences, so they continue donating in the future. Hospitals depend on blood donations to operate.
Senior Robert Knutson realizes the significance of giving blood. He said, “I think that a lot of people don’t understand that it is actually important, but hospitals lack blood, and they need blood to function, so I think it is very important.”
However, donating blood isn’t the only way to be able to help the drive. If students are unable to donate, they could volunteer and help out. Scrubs said, “We do recommend that you come in and help out and just try to be hands on even if they’re just being a supporter. Like how a lot of people today were coming in even if they can’t donate and saying like, ‘I’ll stay with my friend or my classmate.’ That’s how you’re supporting the cause, by making someone feel comfortable enough for them to come back and donate with us again.”
The fact that one pint of blood can save up to three lives is truly remarkable. During the event, 68 people came to donate blood. Of these, 72% were donating for the first time. Their goal was to collect 53 units, but the drive ended up gathering 57. This means that up to 171 lives could be saved, thanks to everyone who stepped up and decided to lend a hand. Donating blood is a genuine act of kindness that fills those in need of blood with gratitude for those willing and able to help others in need, especially for those facing similar situations to mine.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the custodians clearing the Paradigm the night before to make way for the Red Cross’s equipment or without the student government setting up the snack tables and the sign-in station. Joni Petrusko, the advisor of the MHS Student Government who sponsors the event each year, said, “We run a sign-up through Google Forms to ensure only students participate. I then enter their names into the Red Cross system, so they know how many to expect.” This way, the nurses can bring enough supplies and avoid running short, keeping the drive running smoothly.
The next blood drive is scheduled for spring, on Thursday, 2/26/26, from 8:00 to 1:30 in the Paradigm.
¹Boreas is the Greek god of winter and ice
²In Greek mythology, amber was seen as the tears of the Sun God, Apollo; which was attributed to healing powers and was used as protection against evil spirits
