There are very few opportunities—especially in high school—where one has the ability to save a life; however, this past week, multiple students have made the conscious decision to donate blood at FHC’s annual blood drive to do just that.  

Senior Myles Shoham was one of the first people to sign up when he heard about the blood drive. Even though it was going to be his first time giving blood, he didn’t have any hesitation to donate. 

“If I can do something as simple as sit in a chair for ten minutes—while getting my blood drawn—to save a life then why not do it,” Myles said. 

Myles knew donating blood was something he’s been interested in for a while, so when the school gave him the opportunity, he immediately took it. 

“Earlier on in my life, I got my blood tested,” Myles said. “I found out I was actually O negative, which is the universal donor. So when I found out about the blood drive, I knew that it was something I wanted to do, especially since I’m old enough now. It’s something so easy I can do to help people in a way that doesn’t really harm me at all.”

Myles further explains that he was thankful for the opportunity and thinks it’s an important program that the school is involved in, and it’s a great way for the students to become a part of something that is bigger than themselves. 

Senior Max Cooper is thankful for students such as Myles who are passionate about helping out at the drive. Max is the National Honors Society (NHS) board member in charge of the blood drive.

Max explains that the four responsibilities of the NHS board are the blood drive, community outreach, recycling, and tutoring. Given that Max knew the NHS board member who was in charge of the blood drive in the past—who said he enjoyed it—it was an easy decision for him when picking which program he wanted to be in charge of. 

“I primarily wanted to be in charge of the blood drive this year because I knew the person last year who did it, and they said that it was a good time,” Max said, “but it’s also a really good cause, and I was happy I was able to help out.”

Ideally, the school does three blood drives every year, but with COVID-19 the past couple of years, it has been hard to make that happen. Luckily this year, it’s looking like all three rounds are happening with Max’s lead. 

Two out of the three have already occurred with great success and student participation each time. Max himself gave blood at the first one, and this time, he has been pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the number of students involved: both running it and taking the time to donate.

“Both times we have done the blood drive this year, we have had all the slots filled, which is really great,” Max said. “We are really just trying to get as many people involved as possible to introduce them to the idea of giving blood and helping to save lives.”

Another student who has contributed to the blood drive is junior Ayla Ahmetovic. Ayla, similarly to Myles, was excited when she found out about the blood drive and looked forward to the opportunity to give back. 

However, even though she knew she wanted to donate blood, it was a little bit more of a heavy decision for Ayla given some past medical history. 

“This will have been my first time [giving blood],” Ayla said. “I was a little bit scared because a year ago, I was really Iron deficient, but I got my iron levels back up, so I was pretty certain I would be okay going into it, but since I hadn’t fainted in a while, I didn’t want to faint this time.” 

Luckily, Ayla was all set following giving blood due to the drinks and snacks provided afterward, and she was very happy with her decision to donate. 

“I encourage everyone to donate if they are able; even if you’re a little bit scared, it’s worth it,” Ayla said. “It’s not a problem that a lot of us have to think about in our everyday life, but there are people in the world who need us to donate in order to improve their lives, so it’s important to help if we can.”