Hokies Don't Step Up To Give Blood; They Get Another Chance Today

Support, encouragement and a little disappointment can all describe the atmosphere during the Red Cross blood drive this week on campus.

The Montgomery-Floyd Chapter of the American Red Cross in association with the American Red Cross Club sponsored the third blood drive of the fall semester recently in 1100 Torgersen Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech.

As she gave blood, senior Kristen Riley talked casually with medical technician Linda Stiltner. “This is my third time donating," Riley said. "I started [giving blood] my junior year and all three times [I have donated] have been on campus.” Riley said her experience has been a positive one over the years and she is happy to be able to help.

“We try to get 700 or 800 people to donate each month mainly on the Virginia Tech campus considering there are 30,000 students,” said blood donor recruiter Tracy Bishop.

Unfortunately, goals like this are sometimes not met. “Only 37 percent of the population are eligible to donate blood and out of that number, less than 10 percent do [give] annually,” according to Red Cross literature.

This statistic became a reality during the recent drive at Tech. By 4:30 p.m. only 55 people had signed up to donate. Out of this number, some were not able to give blood because he/she was deferred or he/she could not finish the process.

“Our goal was seventy units [of blood] but we didn’t make it. In an extreme case, everything we did today wouldn’t even save a 25 year old who lost a leg and needed 100 units of blood,” said Bishop.

This means the American Red Cross will try to make up for the loss through blood drives held on campus and in the other 45 surrounding counties.

Despite the lack of units given, donors, nurses, and medical technicians were all in good spirits. Smiling ear-to-ear, Riley said, “It feels good to give blood. I’m an O negative, so I’m a universal donor.” This means anyone can physically accept her blood without fear of his/her body rejecting it.

O negative is a rare blood type. In fact, only 6.5 percent of the general population has it, so it is in high demand. According to the Red Cross, one O negative person giving blood can save three lives.

“My advice to those who are hesitant is no one [including myself] should push anybody to donate. It should be a personal choice; however, I must say most people come back after they do it and realize it’s not bad,” said Bishop.

There are several upcoming opportunities where students have the chance to give.

The Montgomery-Floyd Chapter of the American Red Cross will hold a blood drive today, Nov. 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in 1100 Torgersen Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech University.

For more listings and additional information about the organization, donating, and frequently asked questions, go to www.givelife.org