The Westbury High School Blood Drive, hosted by the NY Blood Center, took place on Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 7:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m. in the gymnasium. Held annually, the blood drive has been taking place at Westbury High for over a decade and usually sees anywhere from 50-75 participants. This year’s drive resulted in 94 potential donors, all of whom had to be at least 16 years old and given parental consent if under 17. After completing the medicals and going through all of the steps, it was determined that 51 people were eligible to donate.

Many who donated were scared to do so, which is far from uncommon given many peoples’ fear of needles, but they pushed through in order to try and help make a difference. Eleventh-grader Anyeli Osorio-Reyes said she “really [felt] like a new person” after donating. “I wanted to send a message to other people,” said 10th-grader Luna Orihuela, when asked why she chose to donate. Others decided on more of a whim, having been told about the drive by a friend, or like senior Ayleen Alvarado, who decided to participate after seeing the drive promoted on posters throughout the school.

This year, NY Blood Center collected 51 pints of blood, which is fantastic for the first drive since COVID. Volunteers were given a raffle ticket for the chance to win a variety of gift cards, but as health teacher and blood drive coordinator Koriene Petrelli says, nothing can compare to “the gift of life as there is no substitute present for human blood.” She adds, “Every two seconds someone needs blood. Every day, more than 38,000 blood donations are needed. Each year, a total of 30 million blood components are transfused.” As such, the next drive will take place this spring, with the goal of raising 60 pints at that time.

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Abigail Alvarado