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It’s not too late to donate blood.
Sign up for an appointment online, or just show up at the Louis Room in Norris from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.
One donation of blood can save three lives, students were told Wednesday as they lined up in Norris for a blood drive.
“Donating blood is going to be the most important thing you do today,” said Maureen Crowley, an account manager for LifeSource, a Chicago non-profit blood center which supplies blood to 94 percent of Chicago’s hospitals.
The drive, hosted by Northwestern Student Blood Services, brought a steady stream of students into the Louis Room. Cheery 80s music, a 52-question form and a snack table awaited them.
By closing time, 125 units of blood had been collected, Crowley said. More than 150 students showed up to donate blood, but some were turned away for various reasons. Student Blood Services Co-President Kate Cline, a Medill sophomore, said the group hopes to collect 100 more units when the drive continues on Thursday.
Crowley said that there is always a high demand for blood because blood products have a shelf-life ranging from five days for platelets to one year for plasma.
“What’s shocking is that Chicago, as big as it is, still imports blood from [other] areas,” Crowley said.
Nationwide, five percent of the population donates blood, but in Chicago only three percent do, she said.
It’s commonly said that each blood donation can save three lives. That’s because each donation can be divided into three blood products, which can be used to treat three different patients. The first is red blood cells, which are used to treat trauma victims. The second product is platelets, which are used primarily for cancer patients. The third product is plasma, which helps burn victims.
Participants found several advantages to donating blood. Donors got a vitals sheet informing them of their iron level, blood pressure, pulse and temperature. The sheets can be brought to Jamba Juice in Evanston for a free drink. Successful donors also got to find out their blood type.
Some students had more altruistic reasons for donating blood.
“If something I can do that is this simple can have such a big impact on saving someone’s life, then it’s worth sitting in a chair for half an hour,” Weinberg freshman Eric Solomonson said as he waited for his turn to give blood.
Update: The final tally for the amount of blood collected on Wednesday was 125 units.