Uniondale High School students rolled up their sleeves for the school’s final blood drive of the year on May 27, helping address the region’s ongoing blood shortage while continuing a program that has been a source of lifesaving donations for local hospitals for more than two decades.
More than 50 students had already taken part by midday, with additional donors expected before the drive concluded. Victoria Seidman, a science teacher at the high school and the Students Against Destructive Decisions club adviser, said the drives typically attract nearly 100 participants, though this year’s spring drive faced scheduling challenges because of Advanced Placement testing.
Uniondale partners with the New York Blood Center to host three blood drives each school year, in the fall, winter and spring. Seidman has organized then since 2003.
Over the years, she said, the program has become more than a community service project. Her commitment to the cause deepened when her mother, who was undergoing treatment for leukemia, struggled to obtain blood transfusions during a shortage.
“We’ve got to do more,” Seidman said. “If it’s not in the hospitals and you need it, you die. There’s no plan B.”
In New York state, students can donate blood beginning at age 16 with parental permission, and at age 17 without permission. Those who donate at least three times during their high school careers receive a red graduation cord recognizing their commitment to community service.
Students had the option of making a traditional whole-blood donation or an ALYX donation, in which concentrated red blood cells are separated and collected while other blood components are dripped back into the donor. According to Seidman, ALYX donations count as two donations because they yield twice the volume of red blood cells.
“The O negative people, they really encourage to get on the machine and get that double — that straight, pure red cells,” Seidman said. “That’s the most valuable. It goes to all your chemo patients, all your immune-compromised people.”
The blood drives also serve as an educational opportunity. Students learn about blood types and donation eligibility, including the importance of O negative blood.
“If you have O negative blood, that’s the best,” Seidman said. “That’s what they want. Because O negative can go to any blood type.”
Seniors Sara-Lee Stewart and Jessica Musa were awarded scholarships by the New York Blood Center in recognition of their efforts to organize and promote the events. The scholarships are given to students who go beyond donating blood, helping coordinate drives, recruit donors and encourage participation throughout the school year. The scholarships vary annually based on the number of donations, and can total as much as $1,500.
“They help me organize them, and they do my paperwork,” Seidman said. “Throughout all three blood drives, they hang posters, promote it, talk to teachers and get them to recruit.”
Stewart, who plans to attend Hofstra University to study journalism and political science, said she got involved because she believes blood donation is a simple way to help others.
“It’s just giving back to the community,” she said. “I feel like it’s most important to just donate, especially as a minority, with people with things like sickle cell [disease].”
Musa plans to attend Bowie State University in Maryland, where she will major in criminal justice. The scholarship, she said, will help ease the financial burden on her family, with both her and her sister attending college out of state.
Musa said she helped promote the blood drives through morning announcements, fliers and posters throughout the school.
Both girls agreed that one of their biggest challenges was persuading classmates not to let fear of needles keep them from donating. “Most people, they’re scared of needles, so you have to try to calm them down first,” Stewart said.
Musa said she often shared her own experiences to reassure hesitant students. “A lot of people were saying that they were scared of needles,” she said. “You just don’t look at the needle. It doesn’t feel as weird, and it’s better to do it with a friend.”
There are more misconceptions about donating blood than fear of needles, Seidman said. “Every needle is sterile and sealed,” she said. “When they open it, they show you.”
Every blood donation can help multiple patients, according to the New York Blood Center, making student participation especially important during periods of blood shortages.
Through months of recruiting volunteers, hanging posters and encouraging classmates to participate, Stewart and Musa helped sustain a program that has served the community for more than 20 years while earning support for their college educations.
