<p>We are currently having a blood drive at my school this week. The school has been talking about it a lot, with information on how to prepare, what to do, etc. Something that's been bothering me lately is that quite a lot of people I've heard talking about blood donation are saying that they aren't doing it. </p>
<p>I personally am, because it helps saves lives. But why aren't more people doing it? It's not even inconvenient, as it is during the school day and you even get to miss class (gym). I understand a few people are hemophobic, but the majority aren't. Am I missing any reasons not to donate other than indifference to helping others?</p>
<p>I am afraid of needles. The kind of afraid where you burst out in tears, shake, and pass out. I opt out of vaccinations whenever I can. But a lot of my friends donate.</p>
<p>I usually do but they turned me down last time my school had a blood drive due to a mix-up in their system. It was, honestly, pretty disappointing. I’m planning on donating platelets at my school’s spring drive.</p>
<p>The Red Cross wont take me blood… On the other hand I for some reason can donate blood straight to the hospitals, which I do a lot as I have O-negative blood.</p>
<p>I’m too thin, and I twitch compulsively when needles are in my arm till they fall out. It’s one of those things I wish I psychologically <em>could</em> do, but I’m just too freaked out to jab needles in my veins. I’m sorry about turnout at your school, though! : (</p>
<p>I was on my NHS’s blood drive committee last year, and the main reason people said no when I was recruiting was because of the whole needles/pain thing. The pain isn’t even that bad, in my opinion, and I even had to have them dig around to find a vein the first (and only) time I donated blood. I tried to donate blood at my school’s last two blood drives, but I couldn’t because my iron levels were too low (just slightly, though).</p>
<p>I don’t weigh enough but I’d really like to. I’m horrible with blood (my brother’s been diabetic for almost a year and I still can’t watch him prick his finger) but that seems like a selfish reason to not help people who need it. </p>
<p>At my school you get free doughnuts and you miss two periods so a lot of people go, but definitely not the majority.</p>
<p>I’m not afraid of needles, but I absolutely hate them. Probably because I was severely dehydrated when I was three, and while hospitalized I had an IV in me at all times. Wasn’t fun. Avoid them in all possible cases (pretty much anything except shots). No blood donation for me. I’ll help out in other ways, though.</p>
<p>Needle + discernible blood = grossed out people</p>
<p>For me, it is definitely the sight and thought of blood. I have this absurd fear that veins will pop and bleed incessantly… I credit that aversion to House and that Urban Legend show. Donated once, and never doing that again.
bleeeeeeeh <em>cringes</em></p>
<p>I’ve donated twice, and it was really great, but during school my parents won’t let me. They think since I’m really sleep-deprived it’ll make me more likely to get sick/weaken me, and my mom is convinced I’m anemic since I’m vegetarian–even though I have NONE of the symptoms and my blood tests always come out fine. Lol. Anyway, yeah, so my parents won’t let me… I’m Type O, too, so it’s really important for me to donate…</p>
<p>I’m somewhat scared of needles but it’s mild enough that I can deal with it, and I’m lucky in that my veins aren’t particularly hard to find. I have friends that’ve suffered through nine jabs before a nurse or someone found a vein, so they’re not doing it (totally logical).</p>
<p>There are definitely people with understandable reasons for not donating, but I do think more people need to bite the bullet and try it at least once. You get warm fuzzy feelings from donating, free food (at least at my school), and once you get away from your group of squeamish and squealing friends it’s actually not all that traumatic (for me, at least).</p>
<p>I recognize that this is a high school forum and I’m a mom, but here’s one thing you might want to consider:</p>
<p>Some people won’t donate because their blood won’t be accepted due to the prescription medicine that they must take. At the same time, they might not want everyone to know that they even have a medical condition requiring prescription drugs.</p>
<p>Some people are afraid of needles, some people are anemic, some people do sports.
The sports one can be a pretty big deal. Giving blood can have effects on you for a week or two, and that can really mess up a season.</p>
(just slightly, though).</p>