Kempsville High School hosted their spring blood drive on April 18, 2018. Students who had signed up prior to the event (and met the required age and weight requirements) were able to donate their blood.

Brittney McLaggan, a senior who donates whenever the school has a blood drive, said that she got the idea to donate from a TV show: Grey’s Anatomy.

“I watch Grey’s Anatomy; I know that people are really in need of blood, and I have a rare blood type, so I know that a lot of people do need the blood I have. It inspires me, [to know] I’m saving people,” McLaggan said.  

Another donator, senior Erin Nichols, said that her decision to donate was influenced after a family member was saved by donated blood.

“My cousin had a brain tumor,” Nichols said, “and he needed to get blood transfusions when they would do surgeries to try to remove the tumor. The blood transfusions did help a lot.”

This is Nichol’s second time donating, and she plans on continuing.

Another senior, Randy Hawkins, initially decided to donate to get over his fear of needles. This was his second time donating and although it hadn’t helped the first time: “I’m [still] terrified of needles,” he’s hoping that eventually, it will help him conquer his fear.

After the blood drive, he still said he was “very afraid of needles.”