Jan. 13, 2026
By Zahara Chowdhury
Editor-in-Chief
This piece is part of a five-part in-depth reporting project about healthcare.
National Blood Donor Month, which takes place annually in January, highlights the need for blood donations and recognizes the contributions of donors.
According to the American Red Cross, patients in the United States require approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells daily.
School nurse Schlameuss said January is specifically designated as a month for blood donations because there are frequent blood shortages in the winter, as the cold and flu season, holiday celebrations and inclement weather prevent people from donating.
“[Hospitals] need blood constantly… for traumas, surgeries and cancer patients,” Schlameuss said. “Anemia is another reason that people need blood donations, since that is exacerbated in the wintertime.”
Schlameuss contributes to this goal by organizing biannual blood drives at LHS, which are held in November and March and hosted by the national nonprofit organization Vitalant.
“It’s a cool thing to do if you’re able to… because you have the potential to help someone.”
LHS’ most recent blood drive, which took place on Nov. 19, 2025, yielded 19 successful donations from the three staff and 59 students who signed up. Those with vitals and hemoglobin levels that were too low were rejected.
Schlameuss said she advises donors, who must be 16 or older and weigh at least 110 pounds, to prepare to donate blood by staying hydrated and satiated.
“You have to drink and eat prior to it, just to avoid any kind of dizziness afterwards… because you’re losing volume. Normally, people don’t have any issues as long as they drink and eat,” Schlameuss said.
Senior Carlos Espinoza III, who donated blood for the first time at LHS’ November drive, said he decided to do so to support people in need.
“It’s a cool thing to do if you’re able to… because you have the potential to help someone,” Espinoza said.
He said his experience was smooth, as it took only 6 minutes, 2 seconds to draw a pint of blood.
“Some people think it might be painful, but no, the process is really easy,” Espinoza said. “When [the needle] goes in, you feel that little prick, but it doesn’t really hurt.”
English teacher Mrs. Ruiz, who donates blood at all of LHS’ blood drives, said she participates to give back to others.
“I [advise] cheer and [direct the] musical, [which] is serving our school, but it’s not anything that’s necessarily a selfless, unpaid act of volunteering,” Ruiz said. “This is one way I can do some community service.”
Ruiz said she is also motivated by the fact that her blood is especially useful.
Ruiz has CMV-negative blood, which means she has never had cytomegalovirus, a flu-like virus that affects up to 85% of American adults. This blood type is crucial for babies needing transfusions, as CMV-positive blood can be fatal.
“My blood [may go] directly to babies, which I didn’t know when I started donating [in 2014],” Ruiz said. “Not only saving a life, but knowing that it goes to babies is really cool.”
Ruiz said it is normal to be afraid when donating blood for the first time.
“Take all of the precautions first and give it a shot. If it’s not for you, then don’t do it again, but I would say at least give it a try because it is really worth it,” said Ruiz.
