Community Corner
Upper St. Clair Blood Drive Draws Unsung Heroes
Giving blood is a simple way to make a huge difference.
It's June 30 at 6:07 p.m. and 17-year-old Andrew Schmitt from Upper St. Clair may have just saved three lives.
You won't hear about it on the news. You wouldn't normally read about it on your favorite Patch website.
"I was lifting weights with a friend, was talking about the blood drive with a friend and decided to donate," said Schmitt, a first time donor.
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There are four different types of collections taken at a blood drive. By giving one pint of blood, a donor is providing the bank with three of those four types. That's three different patients who could be served from one donor. The fourth type is plasma, which is drawn separately.
Wednesday's blood drive at the was in honor of Officer James Kuzak as well as all wounded and fallen officers for their dedication and passion to make the community safe.
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Schmitt's dad was taking photographs earlier this week at South Hills Country Club for a golf outing benefiting Kuzak—one of many fundraisers to help with Kuzak's long-term rehabilitation. There have also been replenishment blood drives for Kuzak.
"A replenishment drive is when blood is collected for a single cause," said Felecia Mercado, collection supervisor of the blood drive at Boyce Mayview.
Schmitt heard from his dad about the replenishment drives held previously for Kuzak and decided to take 30 minutes out of his day to help somebody else.
"It's a real easy way to do good, sharing with your fellow man," said 21-year-old Ian Winner, who also donated. He was one of many young adults who gave blood on Wednesday.
According to the Red Cross, somebody in the US is in need of a blood transfusion every two seconds. A car accident victim will often use up to 100 pints of blood during an operation. Wednesday's eight-hour blood drive resulted in a 50-to-60 pint donation. Do the math and you can see it takes a major collective effort to make a difference.
Central Blood Bank and the CRC holds a blood drive every few months. Giving blood remains one of the simplest ways to make a major difference in somebody's life.
