The Michigan Blood Bus was at the Davison campus on Wednesday, March 27 for the spring blood drive. Blood drives like the ones that Davison staff and students participated in make up 70% of donations that Michigan Blood receives. The Davison campus set out to collect 15 units of blood during the drive and came extremely close with 14 units actually collected.
In the US and Canada it is estimated that more than 4.5 million people will need a blood transfusion each year. The 14 units the Davison campus collected will go far, as each unit can save up to three lives. This means 42 lives could be saved due to the campus’ efforts.
Brad Warju from Michigan Blood visited campus prior to the event to offer useful information about donating blood. Anyone who is considering donating should be aware of how certain eligibility requirements, such as high enough iron levels and no recent travel abroad, could affect their ability to donate. It’s also important to note that donors should eat at least four hours beforehand, drink a lot of water, and avoid alcohol the day before donating.
The Davison campus decided to make things a little more interesting by using the blood drive to help determine whose blood was “better.” Assistant Director of Admissions, Denise Wisman, and Dane Cobb, Career Development Representative, put their blood types to the test. Denise has O- blood, while Dane has AB-, both of which are universal blood types. However, because Dane’s blood type is rarer, the Michigan Blood staff declared Denise’s blood the “winner” because her blood can be used by all. Dane did not accept defeat gracefully, insisting that he was clearly the winner because of his rare blood type.
During the blood drive, students and staff participated in high numbers. The Pharmacy Tech class had the highest participation. Fourteen donations were collected. Eleven of the participants were first-time donors. As the Davison campus participates in blood drives regularly, they are providing an invaluable service to their community.