nYesterday was the school’s annual blood drive, hosted by HOSA and St. Luke’s hospital. The blood drive took place in the Lego gym from third period until 1:00pm.

“It went really well, we had a lot of people come, over a hundred. So we saved three hundred lives today,” said Rebekah Neidigk, the HOSA student president.

In the lego gym, cookies and snacks were standing by for students fresh off the beds, all patting themselves on the back over their selfless and heroic efforts to be pricked with a needle. Music played overhead throughout the drive.

“It’s mostly to calm people down,” Doug Bailey, a HOSA office said regarding the music. “A reason why people can’t give blood is high blood pressure caused by nervousness… If someone with high blood pressure gives blood, the blood will spurt out… It’s mostly a safety issue, that’s why they have the screenings.”

Despite this fear, no major injury has ever taken place at Tomball through the blood drive. Partially due to the precautions taken by HOSA and St. Luke’s. On average, only two or three people a year will experience minor difficulties, usually fainting.

“Only one person had a fainting incident, but aside from that everyone did pretty well. I think only a couple of people got dizzy,” Neidigk said.

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