Second-year health and fitness student Marco Delellis gives a blood donation at the mobile drive at the North Campus.
photo by lee flohr
Life Reporter
Students and faculty at the North Campus came together last week to donate blood, and for some, the experience was personal.
“My mother was in a serious accident where she needed a lot of blood,” said Marco Delellis, a second-year health and fitness student. “Now my whole family donates.”
More than 100 students and faculty signed up last Tuesday and Wednesday to give blood at the North Campus.
On Wednesday alone, Canadian Blood Services collected 57 units, two more than their goal of 55 units. They collected 106 units in total, almost 50 litres of blood said Canadian Blood Services.
Humber residence life co-ordinator Alena Boczek also joined in on the blood drive to try and improve residence life.
“It’s something students can do where they see an immediate result,” Boczek said. “Residence students are always looking for things to do together.”
Boczek made and hung posters throughout residence encouraging students to donate blood, independent of the HSF initiative.
“I brought three people with me specifically to donate,” Boczek said. “Two had never donated before, and one hadn’t donated in a long time.”
Boczek said she too had a personal reason for donating blood.
“My grandmother had breast cancer, and died before I was born,” she said. “As soon as I was old enough to donate, I started to through school.”
The mobile unit visits North and Lakeshore campuses once a semester, and is organized by HSF Programming Director Aaron Miller.
“Canadian Blood Services is a unique charity that visits campus,” Miller said. “Most charities want students’ money, but they want your blood, and most students can afford that.”
The Mobile Clinic’s supervisor, Marlene Davidson said the blood collected will go to 58 hospitals in the GTA after it is analyzed at their lab on College Street.
“Every unit of blood collected saves three lives,” she said. “The blood will be stored until it is needed by a patient.”
Davidson also said the red blood cells, plasma and platelets specifically will be separated, and will all be stored in their blood bank for patients needing them.