Saving lives is just one of the benefits of donating blood, and students can do their part in helping others by participating in today’s blood drive.
From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, the Brite Student Association and TCU Office of Religious and Spiritual Life will be co-sponsoring their first-ever collaborative blood drive.
This student-led initiative was started in hopes of helping people who have been impacted by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey, Dani Musselman, who is in her second year as a Masters of Divinity student at Brite Divinity School, said.
“Many Brite and TCU students seemed concerned during the fall about how they ought to respond to the horrific natural disasters happening around our world, and especially those that happened close to home,” Musselman said. “Once we found out how much of a need blood donations are, we thought it would be extremely helpful.”
Each person can donate one pint of blood, and this specific blood drive can draw 126 pints. As of now, all 126 spots have been filled. However, they still request people to walk in on the day of in case donors cancel last minute. All blood donated will go to the Carter Blood Care facility where it will be stored until it is transferred to a hospital or some other care facility.
Alicia Henigan, a junior movement science major, is no stranger to this process. In fact, she comes from a lineage of people who donate blood.
“My blood type is the rarest kind so it is always needed,” Henigan said. “My grandfather has donated over 250 times so I wanted to continue that [tradition] for him.”
Blood donation is done in four steps: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments. Although the entire procedure takes about an hour and 15 minutes, the actual blood donation on average takes less than 10 to 12 minutes.
Hannah Windham, a sophomore communications major, knows from experience how important it is for people to donate blood.
“I’m anemic so I’ve had blood donated to me all throughout my life,” Windham said. “Giving blood really helps someone who needs it.”
Whether it is for medical purposes or simply to help a stranger out, Lainey Howard, a junior nursing major, said she tries to donate whenever the opportunity arises.
“My mom used to make me do it, but once I started doing nursing clinicals I saw a ton of transfusions and realized how helpful it really is,” Howard said. “I really like helping those who need it, plus, I’ve been told I have great veins.”
Giving blood is not only a gift that spreads compassion, it’s an extraordinary gift that gives life, Musselman said.
“These donations can save lives all around the world: our friends, family members, neighbors, and people we have yet to meet,” Musselman said. “We are encouraging people who participate in the drive in any way to use three hashtags: #GiveForLife #BriteBlood #LeadOnTCU.”
You can read more about the event and register here or contact the Brite Office of Admissions at 817-257-7513.
