Donors look to do the 'Wright' thing

Blood flowed Wednesday at Wright Quad, but there was no disaster at hand. The Wright formal lounge was the site of the second Red Cross blood drive of the year. \nFreshman Emily Rose Wenrich is the vice president of environmental affairs at Wright. Because Wright currently does not have a vice president of philanthropy, Wenrich took it upon herself to organize the blood drive. The drive also has a deeper, more personal meaning for her.\n"My dad has a rare blood disorder, and this is how his life's been saved so many times," Wenrich said. "I'm really passionate about blood drives."\nFreshman Arri Simon tried to donate blood at the drive, but couldn't. \n"I got a tattoo in the second week of school," Simon said. "I've always wanted to give blood, but there's always been some reason I can't." \nBoth of Simon's parents have rare blood types, and while he didn't know his type, he said that his is likely rare also. Rare blood-type donors are hard to find, so Simon said that as soon as the one-year tattoo rule is altered, he'll donate.\n"I'm not bothered by needles or anything, so as soon as I can give again, I will," he said.\nFor his effort, Simon was rewarded with a "I tried to be a blood donor" sticker to wear on his shirt.\nBlood drives at Wright are held three times a year. The first of the year was at Homecoming, Wednesday's was the second, and the third will be April 4. Because donors can give blood every 56 days, Wednesday's donors will be able to donate March 30, just in time for the drive on April 4.\nSophomore Kristine Przychodny lives across the hall from Wenrich and came to donate to support her neighbor. \n"There hadn't been many people who signed up beforehand, so I said I'd give," Przychodny said. "It's not nearly as bad as everybody thinks it is. The trick is to just stay calm."\nLou Torres, a Red Cross employee, said campus drives usually come within 10 people of their projected goal. Torres also said the one-year tattoo policy is going to change sometime in March. A new blood testing method will allow for more potential donors to follow through with the donation process.\n"There's really not much people can do if their iron level is too low," Torres said, "but with this new rule more people will be able to actually donate."\nNinety-nine percent of the blood donated in the Bloomington area ends up in Bloomington. While whole blood is taken at drives, most is separated down into plasma and red blood cells at the regional blood center in Louisville, Ky. Different types of patients need different blood products, Torres said. For example, burn victims often need plasma, chemotherapy patients need platelets, and car accident victims need red blood cells.\nTorres said the most important reason to donate is because of the life-saving possibilities donating brings. \n"I know it sounds cheesy, but I always say that the life you save may be your own," he said. "It's really probable that you or your best friend will end up with your blood."\n-- Contact Copy Chief Kehla West at krwest@indiana.edu.