By Maddie Mafodda

Hi! I am Maddie Mafodda, and I’m soon ready to start my senior year at Academy of Notre Dame de Namur. This past April, I donated blood at my schools’ NHS Blood Drive for the very first time! Let’s talk about it!

I signed up to donate blood super spontaneously. I remember being in my Anatomy class, and deciding to sign up, because I was already so involved with the Red Cross. At that moment, I actually regretted signing up, but now, I don’t regret a thing! 

On the actual day of the drive, I showed up to my school’s gym, where the blood drive was being held, and signed in. I highly recommend filling out your RapidPass to make the check in process much easier. Then, I sat and waited for my turn to be called up. I got to talk with my friends, classmates, teachers, and blood donor ambassadors about their experiences donating blood. Personally, I was super worried about the needle (I am NOT a fan of needles), so I talked these worries out with the people who had donated blood many times before that day. It was super comforting!

Then, I got called up. I had to get my basic vitals taken as well as confirm some information about myself and my health, which was super quick because I had filled out my RapidPass. Then, I waited there for a table to open up and it was my turn to lay down and give blood.

I was so nervous! I thought I had talked out all of my nerves, but walking to my table brought all of my nerves back. Looking back, I have no idea what I was so nervous about. I laid comfortably on my table, while the phlebotomist cleaned my arm and found the vein she was going to use. She was super nice and reassuring, since she knew it was my first time donating blood. Then, she slipped the needle into my arm, and let it sit for about 5 minutes before my bag was full and she removed it. Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! I was expecting to be in excruciating pain for the time that the needle was in my arm, and it just ended up feeling like a very hard pinch, followed by some moderate discomfort, which was relieving. 

During my 5 minutes, I squeezed my fist together to make the blood pump faster, and I think that helped a lot! I am also not afraid to admit that I squeezed my mom’s hand, because it was still my first time!

Once it was all over, I walked right over to a large mat our school had set out for us. I sat there and rehydrated with juice and ate pretzels and cookies to refuel. I needed it! When you donate blood, you give about 1 pint of blood, which is a lot! Initially, I felt super faint, but after a short amount of time (and lots of snacks), I felt ready to get back to the rest of my day! I felt like myself again by the next morning when I woke up. 

Overall, giving blood was a nerve-racking experience, but it is so rewarding! I got an email telling me exactly what hospital my blood went to, which was so cool to hear! I loved getting that follow up knowing that my donation truly saved lives. 

I would TOTALLY recommend giving blood to anyone on the fence about it. Plus, you can tell all of your friends about the cool thing you did! 

A few tips: Make sure you eat lots of food and drink plenty of water (+ electrolytes!). I honestly think this is what helped me feel better so soon after donating; it is very important! Make sure you get a good night’s rest! Donating blood while tired seems AWFUL; imagine already being tired and becoming more tired by donating blood! Yikes! And lastly, I skipped my track practice after school that day to rest and relax, which I highly recommend you do as well. Maybe have a nice self care night! You deserve it!