Sixty-five percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than three percent do. Statistically, with one in three people expected to need a transfusion at some point in their lives, the shortage is real and urgent. Every donation collected could mean the difference between life and death. For junior Selena Shen, who organizes the drives on campus, the motivation is deeply personal.
“My relative had cancer, and she needed lifesaving surgery, but it was delayed for over a week because they couldn’t find her blood type from the blood bank. Just finding ways to get involved and directly help our local community is so fulfilling,” Shen said.
Behind the scenes, Shen works closely with Dawn Miller, the account manager at Suncoast Blood Centers, to make each drive possible. Miller coordinates logistics such as scheduling, collection times, and donor follow-ups to ensure that blood collected at Pine View reaches local hospitals. Shen handles the campus side, working with administration to set dates, getting approval, and promoting the event among students.
“She provides me with that information, and I spread the word,” Shen said.
On drive day, the bloodmobile parks by the Shell Lot, and students check in to donate. Donors burn about 650 calories when giving blood, so it is important they arrive hydrated and having eaten beforehand. Once inside, they are placed on a donor bed where vitals are taken before blood is drawn. Afterward, students rest for about ten minutes before receiving snacks, water or Gatorade, and sometimes gift cards or Chick-fil-A breakfast biscuits.
For Miller, the simplicity of the act is what makes it powerful.
“I have talked to many people, from students that are just 16 to people in their 80s, that is their first time donating blood, and is a new experience, and you do not really know what to expect. It is the simplest thing that all of us can do. It takes little time and at the very least you know that you impacted the life of a patient somewhere in your community and made a real difference,” Miller said.
After collection, donations are sent to Suncoast’s Lakewood Ranch lab to be processed and prepared for hospitals. Couriers then deliver it to facilities that request blood.
Miller explains how every blood donation has the potential to affect up to three lives because a single donation can be separated into platelets, plasma, and red blood cells, each of which can help a different patient. If everyone in the United States who is eligible to donate gave just once a year, hospitals across the country would have enough blood for every patient, ending shortages entirely.
Blood compatibility is also important: there are eight blood types, and some types can be safely transfused into certain others. The universal donor type, O negative, is used most often by hospitals.
The impact of regular donations can be significant. According to Shen, if a student donates every quarter of a year, their blood could potentially save up to 12 lives. Nationwide, about 25 percent of blood donations come from school drives, highlighting the vital role students play in the donations.
“It is never too late to do a wonderful thing,” Miller said.
A major part of the blood drive’s success comes from inspiring students to take part. For Shen, seeing the results of donations brings a sense of happiness. Shen is not directly associated with the patients who receive the blood, but the blood bank has informed her these donations help people including local kids and peers.
“It’s especially meaningful when students receive texts from the blood bank saying their blood just helped a patient,” she said.
Miller shares a similar perspective, emphasizing the importance of giving back locally.
“Working in the community’s blood bank is an interesting way of helping your community.” Miller said, “I was born here, so it is important to me to help my community, and this is something that I really and truly can do to make sure that every hospital in the entire county will have all the blood that they need for any patient that comes in.”