Eric Gardner ’23

On Wednesday, October 26th, Wyoming Seminary held a blood drive in partnership with the Red Cross. Student leaders have been working to continue to bring these blood drives to Sem after several successful drives in past years.

Participating students visited the Blue Gym for their appointment between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The process took just a couple of minutes, meaning it was not an inconvenience for most. After the donation, students avoided any strenuous activities for 24 hours while their body recovered.

Last year, 31 students donated, including 25 for the first time. Lauren Finlay ‘23, student leader of the event, hoped to see that number increase this year. “We’re expecting to see around 40 donations this year, but that number can be hard to estimate before the drive, because we don’t know how many students will be turned away.”

While everyone is encouraged to give blood if they can, there are many reasons potential donors may have been denied.

Anyone looking to donate had to be at least 16 years of age and weigh 110 pounds or more. Some students who fit this criteria were still turned away if their blood was not fit to donate. One example, Claire Stretanski ‘23, was turned away due to low iron levels in her blood.

The Red Cross advises donors to get at least eight hours of sleep the night before a donation. Donors should also avoid fatty foods, and instead choose lean proteins and complex carbs, along with a healthy amount of water. Finally, donors were asked a few questions about their health, and then the donation could be made.

Donating blood is one of the easiest ways to help save lives. According to the Red Cross, just one donation can save the lives of up to three people. Almost 16 million blood components are transfused each year, so more donations are always needed. If you or anyone you know are looking to sign up in the future, email Lauren Finlay at lfinlay@wyomingseminary.org.