By Noah Allison–
Tons of people lining up at the doors, countless amounts of blood, people fainting, no, it wasn’t the world’s greatest slasher flick, it was the annual American Red Cross Blood Drive challenge at the Red Barn.
On August 31, the Red Barn was especially red as eager Louisville students poured in for hours on end to donate their blood to those who need it.
“I know if I was in a situation where my life depended on a blood transfusion, I would feel better knowing that people were willing to give up what they could for those who need it,” sophomore Justin Tallio said.
Doors at the Red Barn opened at 10 a.m. From that moment on there was no resting as students lined up out the door and filed in for the next seven straight hours.
“The employees worked diligently despite the overwhelming turnout of donors,” senior Marcella Kennedy said.
While it was scheduled to end at four in the afternoon, the last donors didn’t leave the Red Barn until 5:20 p.m. All those hours of needle poking led to 95 pints of blood being collected, an increase in amount of blood donated from the last blood drive at U of L. There is no denying the anxiety that comes with donating blood, especially for those who have never donated before. But that didn’t stop many from donating for the first time.
“There were no words to describe it, I think people are mostly afraid to donate because they never have before,” first time donor freshman Amber Ogden said. “I’ll donate again, it’s a good cause so there is no reason not to.”
If one wished to donate but missed out on the opportunity to do so, do not fret. It takes approximately 56 days from donating to be able to donate again, which means the American Red Cross workers will be back to collect more blood sometime in late fall or early winter.
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Photo courtesy Red Cross
