THEWIRE

By Brian Eastburn

 

Lifeblood flowed freely on Sept. 25, as the Blood Bank of Delmarva and the Medical Assistant Lab Technician Association (MALTA) teamed up for the bi-annual Delaware Technical Community College blood drive in the Carter building, on the Owens Campus.

 

Linda Collins, Head of MALTA, helped oversee the blood drive. Collins, a graduate of Delaware Tech, believes giving blood is the gift of life.

 

“You’ll save somebody’s life by donating,” Collins said.

 

Collins said being a little afraid to donate is only natural, as the procedure is a little uncomfortable.

 

“Yes, it’s gonna hurt. Yes, you will be scared,” Collins said. “But, you just have to remember, it’s a good feeling when you donate.”

 

Falling short of the goal to accumulate 100 units or pints of blood, the drive collected 74 units. The most desirable blood is the universal Type O negative. AB negative blood is the rarest type. 

 

Kelly Davis, a nursing instructor at Delaware Tech, makes it a point to donate whenever she can.

 

“It’s good PR for the nursing department,” Davis said. “But, really, I just feel honored to be able to help someone that may need my blood.”

 

The restrictions on who can and cannot give blood are: 

• You must not have any cold or flu-like symptoms on the day of donating

• If you have a tattoo, you must wait a year from the date of getting the tattoo

• Must be over the age of 17

• Anyone that has had a Venereal Disease must wait a year

• If you have just had a recent major surgery, you may want to wait 

 

Things that someone interested should do before donating are: be hydrated, get a good night of sleep and make sure to have a good meal within three hours of donating. The process of donating will take about an hour.

 

The next blood drive will be held March 12, 2014, in the Carter Building, Room 540. 

 

If anyone would like more information about donating blood, visit the Delmarva Blood Bank web site at www.delmarvablood.org