City of Hope and ASB collaborate to host biannual blood drive

City of Hope, a cancer research hospital, participated in Samo Associated Student Body’s (ASB) biannual blood drive for the first time since the program began.Samo ASB treasurer Josh Lettiere (’14) and member-at-large Jenny Araujo (’14), have been running the blood drive since the end of the 2012-13 school year. According to Araujo, the drive takes a lot of time and coordinated effort to pull off.“The hardest part is getting people to sign up, because a lot of them are scared of needles,” Araujo said.Lettiere said the dedication to the drive is ultimately worth the time.“I like doing it because I know it helps save lives,” Lettiere said.Manuela Galvan (’16), a first time donor, believes that participating in the blood can mean the difference between life and death for people in need.“A lot of people are dying and are in need of blood," Galvan said. "My blood could help people who need transfusions.”The blood drive at Samo is open to students’ aged 16 and up, and is held in the South Gym twice a year.Donna Collins, a chief recruitment officer for City of Hope, said the blood drive was successful.“The reason we are drawing blood from patients today, is because we are able to break up the blood donated, into three parts; Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Platelets," Collins. "All of what is collected today will go to cancer patients who may need only one part of the blood.”This year, over 180 students participated in the blood drive. According to Collins, the blood donated by one person can help save the lives of more than one cancer patient .“We collect 1 pint, which is standard for most medical facilities," Collins said. "But, by collecting one unit, we can save three lives.”gziaukas@thesamohi.com