By Alex Wykcoff
Staff Writer
Mira Costa High School held its annual blood drive, funded by the University of California Los Angeles Medical Department, on June 6 and June 7 in the Mira Costa gymnasium, giving students the option to donate one pint of their blood to those in need of blood transfusions after accidents or surgeries.
“I think the blood drive is really great because we get to see people from all different walks of life,” UCLA medic Jeff Pitchford said. “It’s refreshing to be able to see all these communities and help all of the different people in need. It’s a great thing to be a part of.”
The goal of each donor is to be able to give one pint of blood. Annually, the average amount of blood taken over the course of the two day event is roughly two hundred and thirty pints. The record in 2003-2004 was two hundred and fifty four pints.
“We try to break our record each year,” ASP Supervisor Lisa Claypoole said.” “We have been reaching around two hundred and fifty every year for the past three years, so we’re close, but we can’t quite crest over it.”
The amount of blood gathered on June 6 and June 7 has not yet been released, but ASB and UCLA speculate that the record will not be broken this year either because of schedule conflicts with the school’s semi-annual Every 15 Minutes event.
“The blood drive is on the calendar,” Claypoole said. “And then Every 15 Minutes came onto the calendar. We’ll do quite well anyway. Even a hundred pints a day is extraordinarily good for a high school blood drive.”
According to Pitchford, the medics at UCLA continue to look forward to going to schools like Costa every year for blood donations to help save lives.
“From my perspective, getting to know the communities and see this help people has been pretty life changing,” Pitchford said. “I think it really gives you a larger scope for viewing the people around you.”
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