Leadership’s annual Blood Drive, in partnership with the Stanford Blood Center, was a huge success, collecting blood from over 200 students this Valentine’s Day. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Friday, the PAC Cafe transformed into a mobile transfusion center, filled with hospital beds, IVs, and technicians.
The 200 pints of blood will stay directly in the community: it will be sorted and processed at a lab in the Hillview area, and then Stanford Hospital will use it for blood transfusions and surgeries.
To begin the process of donating blood, students checked in and underwent an initial evaluation to make sure they were safe to donate. Participants had to be at least 16 years old, be free of any cold or flu symptoms, and pass a medical evaluation that included iron level, temperature, and blood pressure checks. After passing through check-in, students laid in donation chairs for five to ten minutes while transfusion bags collected a pint of their blood.
“The process was very simple, very easy, very fast, and I didn’t feel much pain. The first time, I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna hurt.’ I was scared and trembling, but it was fine, just a little pinch,” senior Jennifer Aguilar said. After donating blood at last year’s drive, Aguilar came in to donate this Friday as well.
Nieva, along with juniors Avary Williams and Isabelle Habibi, led the planning of the drive over a period of two months.
“Everyone in Leadership’s fifth period is given a goal to recruit people to donate blood,” Nieva said. “The really amazing thing is that we had 100 sign-ups, but like 200 people showed up. It’s really difficult to get everyone in, but it’s also amazing that we have so many people who are willing to contribute during the school day and give blood.”
After donating, students waited a mandatory 15 minutes in the canteen while enjoying an array of snacks, from Rice Krispie Treats and chips to Oreos. Most students donated with no complications, but this period ensured that there were technicians to help in case something went wrong. In some instances, donors may experience tetanus, nausea, loss of consciousness, or lightheadedness after donating blood. Senior Giles Hayhurst was one of the few people to experience these symptoms. He lost consciousness for around ten seconds, but recovered fully immediately after.
There has been a national blood shortage in the U.S. since January 2024, and in the past 20 years, the number of people donating blood has fallen nearly 40%. The crisis is even worse for some blood types like O-negative.
“The single sentence that one donation saves three lives, an hour saving three lives, is really impactful. There’s a lot of good that goes through this,” senior Nicole Nieva, who helped organize the Blood Drive, said.
For some donors, the connection is personal. “I’ve benefited from blood transfusion myself when I was a kid,” a parent and regular blood donor, said. “I also work in the medical field, so not only have I benefited, but a lot of my patients have benefited, and I understand the importance of giving back.”
“I love how there’s a community for blood donations. Everyone has different stories about why they’re here. Some people here have had transfusions, others have had family who have. There’s so many connections,” Brisa Barajas, a Stanford Blood Center technician, said.
