Cathedral Catholic High School student Marcelo Aguilar ’18 never considered the importance of maintaining San Diego’s blood supply until the day a distracted driver slammed into his grandmother’s car.

“Ever since my grandma had that incident, I donate blood every year to help other people who are in the same situation as someone I love was once in,” Aguilar said.

To supplement San Diego’s dwindling blood supply, Cathedral Catholic High School and the Red Cross Club hosted its annual blood drive yesterday in the Green Room, giving CCHS students the opportunity to donate blood as part of their civic duty.

The total pints of blood donated by CCHS students yesterday was unavailable at press time.

As the morning started, slots quickly filled up to donate whole blood and double reds.

“The blood donations help so many people [that] it is unbelievable,” said Mrs. Brittney Cairns, who moderates the CCHS Red Cross Club. “Blood donations are shipped to hospitals after being tested and processed. These donations can help any person in need of a blood transfusion in emergencies.”

People like Aguilar’s grandmother.

According to the American Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds, which requires approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells every day. The process of donating blood is complex, mainly because it requires FDA approval, specific requirements, and many volunteers and donors.

“Donating blood benefits a lot of people who are in hospitals or in desperate need of blood,” said Ms. Bianca Marsh, a San Diego State University nurse who helped organize the blood drive. “I’ve been a nurse for five years now, and it’s amazing being able to work in my community for a good cause.”

CCHS students under 16 years old needed to obtain parental consent as well as to fulfill weight and height requirements in order to donate blood, Ms. Marsh said. 

Donating blood is especially beneficial to people battling cancer or surviving car accidents. Many people who undergo chemotherapy need blood to get through their treatments. In addition, officials estimate that a single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

“I wanted to give blood because it’s a good opportunity to help someone that needs it more than I do,” CCHS student and first-time blood donor Sierra Dunphy ‘19 said.

CCHS students did not fail to give back to their community this year, opening their hearts and donating their blood to make the world a little bit better place.

“I hope students learn about how valuable their donations are,” Mrs. Cairns said. “It is such an important thing to do for other [people].”